As the demand for intellectual property assets, including copyrights, patents, trademarks and licences, increases in Mainland China, Hong Kong is well positioned to capitalise as a hub for IP trading. From 2008 to 2010, more than 750,000 patent applications were filed in Mainland China, placing it ahead of the US and Japan in patent filings. As China moves towards developing technology and clean... Read Article

The Hong Kong Legislative Council (“Legco”) passed the new Companies Ordinance on 12 July 2012 (the “New Ordinance”). The New Ordinance was published in the Government Gazette in August 2012. It will become effective on a day to be appointed and published in the Gazette, which is expected to be sometime in early 2014. The drafting process started in 2006 and after five... Read Article

Doing business in China can sometimes be like going down the rabbit hole. Regardless of how many years of experience someone has or their level of intuition, things can occasionally go awry without explanation and with no easy solution in sight. One of the first things foreign companies hear about when they enter the Chinese market is the central importance of guanxi – the art of... Read Article

With ratification procedures completed on both sides, the Hong Kong and Mexico income tax treaty came into force on 7 March 2013, effective in Hong Kong for years of assessment beginning on or after 1 April 2014. The treaty now provides reduced withholding tax rates on dividends (0%), interest (0%, 4.9% or 10%), and royalties (10%). Profits from international shipping transport earned by Hong... Read Article

No matter where a company operates, labour issues can be fraught with difficulties and complications. From "employment at will" policies to discrimination to documentation of performance issues or misconduct, there is no shortage of things to think about when dealing with employee issues. Operating a business in China encompasses many of the same issues, but with a twist. Unlike the... Read Article

The Statutory Minimum Wage Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council in July 2010 which has benefited above 300,000 workers in Hong Kong. The intention is to ensure that employees were paid an adequate wage to sustain a living and to narrow the prevalent wage gap, without having significant impact on the competitiveness and economic growth of Hong Kong. The initial minimum wage... Read Article

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