China
Anti-Asian racism harming US interests
Author: Zhiqun Zhu, Bucknell University
In June 1982, Vincent Chin was beaten by two white men in Detroit at a time when the Japanese auto industry was becoming highly competitive in the United States. Chin, a Chinese-American, was assumed Japanese and fatally attacked by the two laid-off autoworkers. Almost 40 years later on 27 September 2020, Tadataka Unno, a Japanese pianist in New York City, was chased and knocked to the ground by a group of teenagers shouting anti-Chinese slurs. He was hospitalised with a broken collarbone.
The United States has a history of anti-Asian racism. In the second half of the 19th century, the Chinese immigrants were the targets of racism, including the lynching of Chinese in Los Angeles in 1871 and mass killings of Chinese in Rock Springs, Wyoming by white mobs in 1885. In 1882, US Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the immigration of Chinese labourers to the United States. Chinese immigrants were blamed for depressed wages and rising unemployment and were considered carriers of disease. Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, about 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated in concentration camps between 1942 and 1946 by President Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order.
Anti-Asian racism is once again on the rise in the United States. Since his election in 2016, President Donald Trump has repeatedly incited racism across the board, most infamously calling Mexican immigrants ‘drug dealers, criminals and rapists’.
The United States is now leading the world in both positive cases and deaths from COVID-19. Over 9 million Americans — including Trump himself — had been infected and over 230,000 had died by the end of October 2020. But instead of reflecting on his own policy failures, Trump is conveniently blaming China and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the country’s poor handling of the pandemic.
The Trump administration’s irresponsible and intentional use of the terms ‘Chinese virus’ and ‘kung flu’ is fuelling anti-Asian racism. Amid COVID-19, verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans are rising. More than 2500 such attacks were reported between mid-March and early August 2020 according to Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks anti-Asian discrimination.
On 17 September 2020, the US House of Representatives voted to pass a bill condemning anti-Asian sentiment amid the pandemic, with all 164 votes against coming from Trump’s fellow Republicans. Following the legislation’s passing, Congresswoman Grace Meng — who introduced the bill — received racist abuse.
The toxic political climate is making it difficult for the United States to maintain normal educational and cultural exchanges with other countries. In August 2020, the University of North Texas (UNT) abruptly cancelled its visa program for 15 visiting Chinese scholars who receive funding from the Chinese government-supported Chinese Scholarship Council. These scholars must now return to China — a decision which sparked thousands from the UNT community to sign a petition to reverse the move to no avail.
As part of its ‘China Initiative’ to counter alleged Chinese espionage, the US Department of Justice stepped up efforts to screen Chinese scholars and students at airports for suspected spying. US border agents carried out 1147 searches of Chinese nationals’ electronic devices in 2019 — a 66 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of searches conducted on people of all nationalities rose by only 23 per cent over the same period.
Not all US schools have turned hostile to international students or academic exchanges — many maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward racism. A professor at the University of Missouri was relieved of teaching in August for making inappropriate remarks to a Chinese student. In response to finding out the student was from Wuhan, the professor said ‘let me get my mask on’. Despite his apology, many found the comment xenophobic.
A professor at Syracuse University and a professor at the University of Cincinnati were also placed on administrative leave for calling the coronavirus the ‘Chinese Communist Party virus’ or ‘Chinese virus’.
The Trump administration’s unfriendly approach toward international students is undermining US soft power and global leadership as many international students have become disillusioned and are looking for opportunities in other countries. Its sweeping ‘espionage’ claims against Chinese students and its decision to terminate the Fulbright programs in…
China
Q1 2024 Brief on Transfer Pricing in Asia
Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance released Regulation No. 172 of 2023 on transfer pricing, consolidating various guidelines. The Directorate General of Taxes focuses on compliance, expanded arm’s length principle, and substance checks. Singapore’s Budget 2024 addresses economic challenges, operational costs, and sustainability, implementing global tax reforms like the Income Inclusion Rule and Domestic Top-up Tax.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) has released Regulation No. 172 of 2023 (“PMK-172”), which prevails as a unified transfer pricing guideline. PMK-172 consolidates various transfer pricing matters that were previously covered under separate regulations, including the application of the arm’s length principle, transfer pricing documentation requirements, transfer pricing adjustments, Mutual Agreement Procedure (“MAP”), and Advance Pricing Agreements (“APA”).
The Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes (DGT) has continued to focus on compliance with the ex-ante principle, the expanded scope of transactions subject to the arm’s length principle, and the reinforcement of substance checks as part of the preliminary stage, indicating the DGT’s expectation of meticulous and well-supported transfer pricing analyses conducted by taxpayers.
In conclusion, PMK-172 reflects the Indonesian government’s commitment to addressing some of the most controversial transfer pricing issues and promoting clarity and certainty. While it brings new opportunities, it also presents challenges. Taxpayers are strongly advised to evaluate the implications of these new guidelines on their businesses in Indonesia to navigate this transformative regulatory landscape successfully.
In a significant move to bolster economic resilience and sustainability, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr. Lawrence Wong, unveiled the ambitious Singapore Budget 2024 on February 16, 2024. Amidst global economic fluctuations and a pressing climate crisis, the Budget strategically addresses the dual challenges of rising operational costs and the imperative for sustainable development, marking a pivotal step towards fortifying Singapore’s position as a competitive and green economy.
In anticipation of global tax reforms, Singapore’s proactive steps to implement the Income Inclusion Rule (IIR) and Domestic Top-up Tax (DTT) under the BEPS 2.0 framework demonstrate a forward-looking approach to ensure tax compliance and fairness. These measures reaffirm Singapore’s commitment to international tax standards while safeguarding its economic interests.
Transfer pricing highlights from the Singapore Budget 2024 include:
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
China
New Report from Dezan Shira & Associates: China Takes the Lead in Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024
China has been the world’s largest manufacturer for 14 years, producing one-third of global manufacturing output. In the Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024, China ranks highest among eight emerging countries in the region. Challenges for these countries include global demand disparities affecting industrial output and export orders.
Known as the “World’s Factory”, China has held the title of the world’s largest manufacturer for 14 consecutive years, starting from 2010. Its factories churn out approximately one-third of the global manufacturing output, a testament to its industrial might and capacity.
China’s dominant role as the world’s sole manufacturing power is reaffirmed in Dezan Shira & Associates’ Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024 report (“EAMI 2024”), in which China secures the top spot among eight emerging countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The other seven economies are India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
The EAMI 2024 aims to assess the potential of these eight economies, navigate the risks, and pinpoint specific factors affecting the manufacturing landscape.
In this article, we delve into the key findings of the EAMI 2024 report and navigate China’s advantages and disadvantages in the manufacturing sector, placing them within the Asia-Pacific comparative context.
Emerging Asia countries face various challenges, especially in the current phase of increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). One notable challenge is the impact of global demand disparities on the manufacturing sector, affecting industrial output and export orders.
This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.
China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.
China
Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
Chinese social media influencers have recently claimed that prominent Chinese-born Australian journalist Vicky Xu had posted a message saying she planned to return to China.
There is no evidence for this. The source did not provide evidence to support the claim, and Xu herself later confirmed to AFCL that she has no such plans.
Currently working as an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, Xu has previously written for both the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or ABC, and The New York Times.
A Chinese language netizen on X initially claimed on March 31 that the changing geopolitical relations between Sydney and Beijing had caused Xu to become an expendable asset and that she had posted a message expressing a strong desire to return to China. An illegible, blurred photo of the supposed message accompanied the post.
This claim was retweeted by a widely followed influencer on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo one day later, who additionally commented that Xu was a “traitor” who had been abandoned by Australian media.
Following the publication of an ASPI article in 2021 which exposed forced labor conditions in Xinjiang co-authored by Xu, the journalist was labeled “morally bankrupt” and “anti-China” by the Chinese state owned media outlet Global Times and subjected to an influx of threatening messages and digital abuse, eventually forcing her to temporarily close several of her social media accounts.
AFCL found that neither Xu’s active X nor LinkedIn account has any mention of her supposed return to China, and received the following response from Xu herself about the rumor:
“I can confirm that I don’t have plans to go back to China. I think if I do go back I’ll most definitely be detained or imprisoned – so the only career I’ll be having is probably going to be prison labor or something like that, which wouldn’t be ideal.”
Neither a keyword search nor reverse image search on the photo attached to the original X post turned up any text from Xu supporting the netizens’ claims.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Malcolm Foster.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Read the rest of this article here >>> Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
- Q1 2024 Brief on Transfer Pricing in Asia
- New Report from Dezan Shira & Associates: China Takes the Lead in Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024
- Is journalist Vicky Xu preparing to return to China?
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