China
China lets loose armies of catchers as dog killings spread
Local governments in China have stepped up dog-catching operations after a 2-year-old girl was mauled by a Rottweiler earlier this month in the southwestern city of Chengdu, sparking huge online reactions as some responded by beating animals to death or hauling away beloved pets.
Ranged on one side of the issue are people who have been bitten or frightened by one of China’s estimated 55 million stray dogs. They mostly blame irresponsible pet owners for abandoning animals they can no longer care for, according to social media comments seen by Radio Free Asia.
On the other is a rapidly growing community of pet lovers and animal rights activists who have spoken out publicly against animal cruelty, including the Yulin dog meat festival, and who blame the government for not regulating dogs and their owners properly in the first place.
Earlier this month, the Chongqing University of International Business and Economics suspended one of its security guards after he reportedly beat a dog to death, admitting that he had “engaged in improper behavior” while “dealing with a stray dog.”
Such killings, which were also reported during the Shanghai lockdown of 2022 — don’t enjoy widespread public support. A recent survey by journalist Wang Zhi’an showed that only around 10% of Chinese people support culls as a way of managing the problems caused by strays or undisciplined pets.
Vigilante-style reactions
Some incidents have prompted vigilante-style reactions from animal lovers, according to a police report from the southwestern city of Guiyang, who hauled in five people for questioning after they went round to harass a local man who beat a pet dog to death after it leapt up at his 6-year-old daughter.
“People should maintain a rational and peaceful attitude online, and consciously resist online violence,” the police said in a statement on the incident, adding that the man had beaten the unleashed Corgi to death with a shovel on Oct. 23 after the dog “jumped on” his daughter as he was taking her to school.
“If these dog lovers really love dogs, they should take better care of them,” read one comment under the story. “These people … dare to upload video of themselves telling a little girl what a bad person her father is,” said another.
The Guiyang dog-killing came just days after a Rottweiler attacked a 2-year-old girl, leaving her with a ruptured kidney, fractured ribs and multiple lacerations, sending shockwaves around the country.
While the owner has been arrested, governments in Anhui and Henan provinces immediately launched “civilized dog-ownership” campaigns, warning owners that any dogs found unleashed in public will be taken away by dog-catching teams.
The Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily called for similar campaigns to be implemented across the country, in a commentary that was reprinted by the ruling Chinese Communist Party newspaper The People’s Daily.
“Local authorities naturally need to take action to prevent similar incidents from happening locally and becoming the focus of public opinion,” the commentary said.
And officials aren’t the only ones responding to such calls.
The China Small Animal Protection Association reported on its WeChat account that private dog-catchers are now taking pets in the eastern city of Wuxi, while reports have also been circulating that a dog was killed in a dormitory at the Sichuan Vocational College of Science and Technology.
Anything but civilized
Chen Kuide, executive chairman of the Princeton China Society, said dogs and other animals often run afoul of China’s legal system, and also fall victim to social tensions.
“People’s behavior tends to go along with the law of the land,” Chen said of the private killings of animals. “The government clearly hasn’t addressed the widespread killing of dogs publicly.”
Animal rights activists have told Radio Free Asia repeatedly that local government campaigns for “civilized dog-ownership” are themselves anything but civilized, and often end up with beloved pets being cudgeled to death or whisked off to the pound unbeknown to their human families.
According to prominent Chinese-American writer Geling Yan, dogs in China are all too often the victims in mass “clean-up” campaigns that have their roots in collective trauma and political malaise.
“I couldn’t help but think of all the ‘strike hard’ campaigns against dogs that I have personally experienced,” Yan wrote in a commentary for RFA Mandarin, in response to the recent anti-dog campaigns.
“They all seemed to happen when the people of China were in a foul mood, with a dark fire raging in their hearts.”
Yan’s childhood pet dog Xiao Huang was beaten to death during the “Four Clean-ups” political movement under Mao Zedong that paved the way for the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.
‘Extension of mutual backstabbing’
Yan was also soon to lose another pet dog “Little Fatty,” “Mahua,” an egg-laying hen and a Tibetan mastiff called Koler to a further wave politicized violence known as the “Cut off the Tail of Capitalism” movement during the years that followed, she wrote.
“Looking back, the persecution of dogs was an extension of the mutual backstabbing and harm caused by that movement,” Yan wrote.
“This kind of retaliatory harming gives rise to dark passions and lets loose the worst aspects of human nature,” she said. “So can I speculate that the dog eradication campaigns begun a week ago were caused by people’s sense of helplessness and powerlessness caused by the zero-COVID policy and its ending, by [being forced to] lie flat, and other collective behaviors?”
“That sense of uncertainty, of anxiety, a kind of nameless fire, a nameless hatred generated by all these negative feelings finally found a target, and now they are venting it, once again, against humanity’s most loyal and speechless companion, the dog,” she wrote.
She said persecuting a creature who is even unluckier than oneself can make people feel that…
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China
China Implements New Policies to Boost Foreign Investment in Science and Technology Companies
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced new policy measures on April 19, 2023, to encourage foreign investment in the technology sector. The measures include facilitating bond issuance, improving the investment environment, and simplifying procedures for foreign institutions to access the Chinese market.
On April 19, 2023, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) along with nine other departments announced a new set of policy measures (hereinafter, “new measures”) aimed at encouraging foreign investment in its technology sector.
Among the new measures, China intends to facilitate the issuance of RMB bonds by eligible overseas institutions and encourage both domestic and foreign-invested tech companies to raise funds through bond issuance.
In this article, we offer an overview of the new measures and their broader significance in fostering international investment and driving innovation-driven growth, underscoring China’s efforts to instill confidence among foreign investors.
The new measures contain a total of sixteen points aimed at facilitating foreign investment in China’s technology sector and improving the overall investment environment.
Divided into four main chapters, the new measures address key aspects including:
Firstly, China aims to expedite the approval process for QFII and RQFII, ensuring efficient access to the Chinese market. Moreover, the government promises to simplify procedures, facilitating operational activities and fund management for foreign institutions.
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
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 Implements New Policies to Boost Foreign Investment in Science and Technology Companies
- Q1 2024 Brief on Transfer Pricing in Asia
- New Report from Dezan Shira & Associates: China Takes the Lead in Emerging Asia Manufacturing Index 2024
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- Guide for Foreign Residents: Obtaining a Certificate of No Criminal Record in China
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