Integrity Legal

Those who have been following this blog with any regularity will likely have noticed that the administration has been attempting to follow the developments unfolding throughout the world as a consequence of the recent nuclear crisis in Japan. One way of monitoring the global response to radiation contamination is through following developing regulatory policies regarding the importation of Japanese products by countries outside of Japan.  In a recent posting on this blog the administration noted the fact that the authorities in many member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had imposed restrictions upon imported Japanese foodstuffs. The same could also be said for some member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.  To quote directly from the website FocusTaiwan.tw:

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Taiwan suspended imports of food products Friday from five Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, where a nuclear power plant was damaged by a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami March 11.

Minister of Health Chiu Wen-ta said all safety inspections of food entering the country from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba — which have all reported widespread radioactive contamination — had been suspended, effectively barring all entry of food from those areas.

The administration of this blog highly recommends that readers click upon the two hyperlinks directly above this citation to read the entire article. As evidence continues to show an increasingly distressing situation in Japan it was also noted that Mainland Chinese officials have implemented new policies regarding food imports from Japan. To quote directly from the website DailyTimes.com.pk:

BEIJING: China banned imports of some Japanese food products on Friday amid fears of radiation contamination, hours after announcing that two Japanese travellers who had flown into an eastern city were found to have radiation levels well above safety limits.[sic]

China joins a growing list of countries that have stopped imports of some foodstuffs from Japan. The ban covers dairy, aquatic and vegetable products as well as fruit from the five Japanese prefectures of Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki, Chiba, China’s quality watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said in a statement…

Readers are highly encouraged to click on the hyperlinks above to read this enlightening piece in full. Clearly Chinese officials are joining their counterparts around the world in a trend of placing increasingly stringent restrictions on Japanese imports. More importantly, it would seem that authorities in China have also reported that two Japanese travelers showed signs of alarming levels of radiation upon arrival from Tokyo.  To quote further from the aforementioned piece:

Separately, the quality watchdog said that two Japanese travellers who flew into China’s eastern city of Wuxi from Tokyo on Wednesday had radiation levels that “seriously exceeded the limit”. [sic]

Clearly, as evidenced by the quotations above, the Chinese authorities are apprised of what appears to be an increasingly serious situation in Japan and are taking appropriate measures.

As the ramifications of this tragedy come into clearer focus concerns mount as to the long term consequences of the Japanese crisis. Meanwhile, concerned people around the world continue to watch as the Japanese people struggle to overcome what could prove to be the most daunting crisis ever to befall a modern nation-state.

For related information please see: business in China or business in Taiwan.

Tags: Administration of Quality Supervision, APEC, AQSIQ, ASEAN Business Law, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Business in Taiwan, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, China Business, China Business Law, Food Imports Japan, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Gunma, Gunma Prefecture, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Inspection and Quarantine, Japan Nuclear Meltdown, Japan Radiation, Japanese Crisis, Japanese Imports, Taipei Business, Taiwan Business, Thailand Business Law, Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture
Posted in American Business, American Institute Taiwan, ASEAN Business, Cambodia Business, China Business, Myanmar (Burma) Business, News, Thailand Business, US Embassy China, US Embassy Japan, US Embassy Tokyo | No Comments »

Those who read this blog with any frequency may have taken note of the fact that the administration has recently been posting some information regarding legal and corporate issues arising in locations such as the Peoples’ Republic of China and also Taiwan. Recently, it came to the attention of this author through the periodical of Cenlaw that Mainland Chinese officials are taking measures to regulate investment by Mainland enterprises in Taiwan. To quote directly from the periodical of Cenlaw:

Chinese Authorities Regulate Investment In Taiwan By Mainland Enterprises

The Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Taiwan Affairs Office have jointly issued the “Measures for the Administration of Investment in Taiwan by Mainland Enterprises’. Pursuant to the Measures, a mainland subject intending to invest in Taiwan shall meet the following conditions: 1. it should be a corporate legal person legally registered and operated in the mainland; and 2. it should have an industrial background, capital, technology and management capacity. In addition, to invest in projects in Taiwan, a mainland local enterprise shall file an application with the provincial development and reform commission where it is located. The application shall be reviewed first by the provincial development and reform commission and then be submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission for approval. For a mainland enterprise under the control of the central government, it may directly apply to the National Development and Reform Commission for approval for its investment in Taiwan. In order for a mainland business to set up a corporate or non-corporate entity in Taiwan for investment ,it must have received approval from the Ministry of Commerce.

It is interesting to note this policy as many in Asia are finding investment opportunities in multiple markets and jurisdictions. Meanwhile, government officials in different jurisdictions are adopting differing strategies when attempting to execute policy.

Mainland China and Taiwan have evolved differently when one looks at the history of these locations. That said, it would appear that market forces and economic factors are the most pivotal issues which will have an impact upon the future of these locations. Furthermore, it would appear that as multi-jurisdictional trade increases so too does the need for a regulatory framework to deal with business matters arising in the context of Mainland China and also Taiwan. Hopefully, through cooperation and thoughtful foresight economic relations between the Mainland and Taiwan will result in economic benefits for everyone concerned during the present and for future generations.

Tags: business in China, Business in Taiwan, China Taiwan Trade, China Trade, Company in China, Company in Taiwan, PRC-Taiwan Trade, Registered Company China, Registered Company Taiwan, Taiwan Trade
Posted in American Institute Taiwan, News, US Consulate ChengDu, US Consulate Guangzhou, US Consulate Hong Kong, US Consulate Macau, US Consulate Shanghai, US Consulate Shenyang, US Consulate Wuhan, US Embassy Beijing, US Embassy China | No Comments »