PRC ADOPTS COMMERCIAL EXCEPTION TO STATE IMMUNITY

The PRC has passed a new law which will apply the “restrictive” approach to foreign state immunity with effect from 1 January 2024.  As a result, foreign states will not be granted immunity from suit or execution in the PRC in respect of commercial activities.  The PRC government has indicated that the same approach should … Read more

Mainland China Increases Proportion of Construction Progress Payments for Government Related Projects

In June 2022, the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (“MOHURD”) jointly released the “Circular on Improving the Methods for the Settlement of Construction Price”, which became effective on 1 August 2022. Mainland China has long regulated the proportion of the contract price in government projects, which must be … Read more

Future of Consumer APAC: Advertising and online trends in China

Cathy Liu shares some recommendations for brands doing business in China following the latest online promotion and advertising trends, beginning with tightening regulation of the booming livestreaming and KOLs (influencers) industry, underlining the importance of honest representation (including account profile, audience comments and video settings) and a crack-down on false claims in advertising. Geopolitical tensions … Read more

Future of Consumer APAC: Climate change and ESG litigation trends in the consumer sector

Mark Smyth (Partner, Sydney) and Jojo Fan (Partner, Hong Kong) discuss the rapidly increasing developments in climate change and ESG litigation globally including greenwashing, inadequate disclosure and challenges for manufacturing and governments. They share their insights on what the future of climate litigation may hold for the consumer sector. Watch Listen About the Future of … Read more

PRC Court recognises an English Court judgment for the first time

On 17 March 2022, the Shanghai Maritime Court of PRC (the “SMC“) issued a milestone ruling ((2018) Hu 72 Xie Wai Ren No.1) with the approval by the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC (the “SPC“), allowing for the recognition and enforcement of an English Court judgment based on the principle of reciprocity for the … Read more

GREATER CHINA: KEY EMPLOYMENT ISSUES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

Two years of upheaval have brought about new ways of working and new challenges for employers. Our Greater China employment team reflects on important themes that have emerged and which will continue to shape the year ahead for employers in China. Ranging from managing employee mental health and remote working to protecting teams and trade … Read more

Hong Kong Court of First Instance refused to issue a letter of request to the judicial authority of mainland China for the purpose of cross-examination

In a recent judgment (Huang Yu Hui v Zheng Shizhi [2021] HKCFI 3362), the Hong Kong Court of First Instance (CFI) refused the defendant’s application to issue a letter of request to the judicial authority of mainland China for the examination of the defendant in a mainland prison. The CFI held that, examination is outside … Read more