According to the Director of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), Wang Yaohui, China’s current immigration policy doesn’t do enough to accommodate skilled foreign workers. “Lots of foreign students and overseas Chinese are trying to come to China. For them, we need to adopt some more open talent policies,” he said.

According to Wang, in most Western countries, foreign residents typically account for approximately 10 percent of the population. Yet an annual report issued last week by the CCG shows that in 2013, there were only 848,500 foreigners in China, amounting to just 0.06 percent of the country’s population.

Green cards remain extremely rare in China. Between 2004 and 2014, only about 5,000 were handed out to foreign expats. And permanent residency is just one of many issues. Concerns over social welfare benefits and education, to name but a few, still need to be addressed.

READ: Foreigners Leaving En Masse? China Says It’s Not So

However, progress is being made. In Shenzhen for example, children of foreign passport holders (including residents of Hong Kong and Macao), that have municipally or nationally approved foreign talent certificates, can now enroll in the city’s public primary and secondary schools. Specific application requirements can be found on the city’s human resources website.

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Japanese watch maker Citizen is abandoning its manufacturing factory in Guangzhou. The move was announced just before Chinese New Year, leaving a thousand Chinese employees to celebrate their holidays knowing they’ll soon be laid off.

At the same time, Microsoft announced plans to shutter its facilities in Dongguan and Beijing in order to move its production to Vietnam. The company restructuring will come at the expense of 9,000 Chinese employees, all of whom will be sent home.

These two announcements are part of a broader trend as many other companies have signaled similar intentions. Panasonic, Daikin, Sharp, and TDK have announced plans to close down their China facilities and take their manufacturing bases back to Japan. UNIQLO, Nike, Foxconn, Funai Electric, Clarion, and Samsung are now establishing factories in other countries throughout Southeast Asia and India, and are hastening their retreat from China.

Even the Royal Bank of Scotland is expected to announce a restructuring plan that will include closing or selling off all its branches in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

So far netizens in China have greeted the news with mixed reactions. “This proves that foreign companies can’t make any more ill-gotten gains from our country (since) Uncle (President) Xi is conducting an anti-corruption campaign,” one said. Another added: “If you’re going to leave, then leave. Local companies can use the shortfall of labor.“

The post Foreign Companies Fleeing China En Masse as Costs, Risks Rise appeared first on The Nanfang.

That said, there have been murmurs in the expat community of late that people are increasingly deciding to head home. There seem to be more going away parties for friends than ever. Now, it looks like that sense is correct: twice as many expats are leaving China compared to those arriving.

READ: China’s Typical Expat: Male, Doesn’t Speak Chinese, and Loves It Here

UniGroup Relocation, a moving company, says business servicing expats looking for a way out of China is booming. According to the company’s records, more people have left China for the USA than vice versa for the second year in a row.

Steve Lewis, Managing Director of UniGroup Relocation Asia Pacific, says that South Asian countries have been a popular exit strategy for many expats that used to call China their home. “We have done some mass moves into Malaysia from China as certain people choose to do research and development and manufacturing there.”

READ: Northern Smog Forcing Expats South to Cleaner Guangdong

Lewis revealed that the majority of UniGroup’s clients are multinational employees (93 percent), but that Chinese companies are starting to use its services as well.

Expats are familiar with the many issues they face living in China: air pollution, visa hassles, food safety scandals, and overcrowding just to name a few. However, for those who do choose to stay, be sure to take advantage of the robust, economically priced and lightly worn second-hand furniture market. After all, one person’s trash can be another’s treasure, or living room set.

Related:

• Coke Now Paying Expat Staff Extra To Deal With China’s Air Pollution
• READ: Is There An Expat Exodus in China? Not Quite…
• Banker Writes Heartfelt Letter on Why It’s Time to Leave “Hedonistic” Hong Kong
• Reasons to leave China: two prominent and long-term expats have thrown in the towel
• China’s Heard Enough About “Western Values”, Bans Them from Classrooms

The post It’s Official: Expats are Leaving China in Droves appeared first on The Nanfang.

Beijing Yanjing Brewery, the third-largest beer manufacturer in China, is expected to sell 20 percent of its shareholdings to a foreign investor. Bloomberg cites industry insiders who say the sale is imminent, and is worth around $700 million based on Yanjing’s current market share value.

Yanjing is the only major beer producer in China without a foreign investor, leading some to say it lacks in foreign experience and technological advancements. Other beer producers in China are already paired up: Snow Beer is produced in a joint venture with U.K. brewer SABMiller. A fifth of Tsingdao Brewery is owned by Ashi Breweries of Japan, while Harbin Brewery was purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 2004.

News of potential foreign investors overshadowed news that a Yanjing Brewery department head had been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Shunyi court for accepting RMB 122,000 in bribes.

In other developments, a Yanjing plant in Fengzhen is spending RMB 100 million on an expansion project.

The post 20% of Yanjing Brewery Up for Sale appeared first on The Nanfang.

That’s according to this article, which lists the ten most popular Chinese luxury items among “laowai”. Here they are:

1. Unmanned Drones
The recent news of the drone that fell onto the White House lawn is significant since it highlights the trend of Americans buying Chinese-made high-tech products. Chinese netizens discovered that the model used in the incident was one made by a Shenzhen company and sold on Taobao for RMB 5,999. Another high-profile case involves a captured drone used for reconnaisance in Syria, also made by a Chinese manufacturer.

The manufacturer of the drones in both of these incidents is DJI, a Chinese company with a 70 percent global market share in drones. In fact, DJI sells 80 percent of its goods to the US market.

2. Spicy tofu strips
Hailed by the report to be “equated among laowai as the same as Peking duck”, spicy tofu strips are very cheap snacks sold in Chinese convenience stores. Having come to prominence last year from multiple netizens posting videos of their English teachers suspiciously trying it for the first time, spicy tofu strips have achieved a notoriety of their own.

The cheap snack worth 71 US cents (RMB 4.5) in China, so it’s hardly a “luxury” item. But they can now be seen on Amazon for $14.99 (RMB 94), 21 times higher than its original price.

3. Chinese running shoes
There is apparently a trend among Hollywood stars to wear Chinese brand running shoes that are considered outdated by Chinese youth. The report cites the example of a paparazzi photo of Orlando Bloom wearing Huili (Warrior) brand shoes.

These shoes are currently for sale for $24.99 (RMB 156) on Amazon, with no reviews, while similar makes are selling for RMB 40 ($6.40) on Taobao.

4. Laoganma
Described in the report as having “conquered the palates of Americans and Europeans”, Laoganma is a spicy flavoring condiment that also received a huge price increase when put on sale overseas. Costing RMB 8 ($1.2) in China, Laoganma is sold for $8 (RMB 50) on Amazon.

Laoganma currently has a four-star rating from 36 users on Amazon, in which one user said, ” Find a local Asian grocery and you can get it for $3-4 a jar. Only if you live out in the boondocks should you pay as much as these online dealers want.”

5. Rubik’s Cubes
While you may remember these to be a fad from the 1980s, this report tells us that Rubik’s Cubes are a hot luxury item sought after by foreigners. The report says Rubik’s Cubes produced in China are considered top notch by professional players, and are the ones used in Guinness World Record contests. Apparently, once Chinese manufacturers started making Rubik’s Cubes, they “revolutionized” the Rubik’s Cube industry.

6. Dabao Skin Cream
Described as being extremely popular with Japanese, Dabao skin cream is said to cost ten times more in Japan than it does in China.

7. Cool Cream
“Cool Cream” brand ointment is said to be very popular throughout Asia and Africa as a way to treat mosquito bites. It costs four yuan.

8. Wigs
The report says out of every four wigs worn in the US, one comes from China.

9. Fiber-weaved handbags
The report notes a 2013 Paris fall collection by fashion designer Celine that featured these handbags. They are made out of a material commonly used throughout China for cargo bags.

It wasn’t made clear how these luxury items can be purchased by the public.

10. Tattoos
David Beckham topped the trend of Westerns getting tattoos of Chinese characters when he got got a tattoo of the Chinese saying, “All men are fated to their life and death; riches and honor are determined from Heaven.”

These luxury items can be written to mean anything from a Western person’s name in Chinese, to characters representing “love” or “strength”, like Megan Fox’s does.

Photos: kuaiji

The post Foreigners are Apparently Buying These Chinese-made Luxury Items in Droves appeared first on The Nanfang.

But what do Chinese people think about your country? Yes, the stereotyping goes both ways. A travel agency in China has compiled a list of national stereotypes to try and help Chinese travelers get beyond them.

Here’s what the article, reasons why foreigners don’t match your initial impression of them, all here for you to discuss, says:

Hey everybody; have you ever brought up a country only to have a strict association with it? For example, talking about South Korea will remind you of plastic surgery, talking about Thailand is to talk about ladyboys, and talking about Japan is to bring up perverts…

The following lists foreigners by their stereotypes; what’s your response?

Canadians: everything they say is boring, and life is depressing there

Maybe you’ve thought that since Canada is so cold and icy that there’s nothing to do there. In fact, in Canada you can go snowboarding, kayaking, and do other extreme sports. What’s more, absurdist comedy star Jim Carrey and Friends actor Matthew Perry are both Canadians, and are they boring? They’re hilarious! Therefore, don’t say that Canadians are boring!

Americans: Liberated thinkers, are tolerant of everything

Actually, European countries are more liberal minded than the USA, as seen in the more acceptable attitude towards nude beaches. Additionally, there are 16 states in the US that have not yet legalized gay marriage. That’s why it’s not that fitting to say that Americans are not that liberal.

Spaniards: Lazy, and love to sleep

Every day, Spaniards enjoy a three hour lunch and an afternoon nap. This is why other countries believe Spaniards are lazy and don’t want to work. However, Spain has seen a 2.8 percent annual average growth in its GDP, beating Germany by one percent.

Italians: Passionate, undisciplined, inefficient

The success of the textile and chemical manufacturing industry of Italy, its fine cuisine of pizza and pasta, the culture and historical architecture from the Renaissance era –these things all prove that Italians are not the least bit undisciplined and inefficient.

English: Soccer hooligans, and the fact that English men love soccer more than they love women!

In fact, more fights happen over soccer in Sweden than they do in England.

French: Arrogant

It’s been said that the French don’t like to smile at strangers and have an air of superiority, but this is just the culture of France. To them, they don’t like to display any hypocritical expressions. The French consider smiling to have nothing to do with etiquette, just as arrogance doesn’t.

Irish: Drunk every day

Any time the subjects of drunks or bars are brought up, many people think of the Irish. However, in an 2004 international study about the use of alcohol, Ireland ranked behind Luxembourg and Hungary.

Filipinos: Barbaric, backwards islanders

In 2003, the average Filipino sent 2,300 text messages a day, making it the most prevalent users of text messages in the world. At the same time, the Philippines is the blogging capital of Asia, therefore the Philippines is not backwards by any stretch of the imagination.

Indians: Narrow thinking, are all poor bastards

Although many Indians still live in poverty, this situation has improved in recent years. India has become a world leader in software, and is one of the fastest rising economies in the world. Have you seen the 2009 comedy 3 Idiots? The number of films produced by the Indian film industry is the highest in the world, as is its box office! Therefore, how can one rationally say that Indians have a narrow scope of thinking, and are all poor bastards?

Cultural stereotypes are something that slowly but imperceptibly affect our thinking. It’s the same with foreigners that all think Chinese can perform kung-fu like Bruce Lee, something that makes Chinese speechless. Therefore, you shouldn’t have any stereotypes towards foreigners or else they’ll think us and our stereotypes to be silly and naive…

Photos: Travel 163

The post Hilarious Stereotypes of Foreign Countries Held by Chinese People appeared first on The Nanfang.

An unidentified Canadian man called Shenzhen police to say he left his backpack in the back of a taxi at around 2pm on New Year’s Eve. The Guangming police sub-station answered the call, and after determining where he got out of the taxi, they were able to isolate which taxi the man took by looking at local surveillance video.

When contacted, driver Mr Zhang confirmed there was a bag in his car, and said he would return it to the police sub-station. And so at 2:30pm, not half an hour after he first reported it missing, the Canadian man was able to regain his lost backpack with nothing missing inside.

As amazing as this story is, similar reports in the Chinese news are actually very common. Many are stories of drivers returning cash to their rightful owners. And while they lack the amazing sleuthing skills of this story, other incidents involving foreigners losing backpacks in taxis have made the news this year.

A foreigner identified as “Max” forgot his backpack in a taxi in November last year, but was able to get it back within an hour by showing police where he exited the taxi on miniature model of the city he was visiting.

“Max” points out the exact location where the taxi that has his missing backpack dropped him off.

A foreigner with the name “Luca” also forgot his backpack in a taxi while visiting Chengde in July, but was able to retrieve it before too long because the taxi driver noticed it after dropping him off and immediately went back to the hotel to give it to Luca personally.

So if you happen to forget your backpack in the back of a taxi, don’t fret; you too might actually get it back.

Photo: China Daily

The post Now, Some Good News: If You Forget Something in a Taxi in China, Don’t Lose All Hope appeared first on The Nanfang.

Online retailers in China thrive domestically, but they rarely venture beyond Chinese borders. To help promote international expansion, Hangzhou recently held a contest to encourage university graduates to target foreign markets.

University graduates competed with each other to see who could be the most successful online “laowai” retailer. The contest featured cash rewards of up to RMB 10,000 and a chance to win two years of free rent in Hangzhou’s Network Innovation Park.

The winning company, “Albert”, had the corporate slogan, “Technology to shape the future, creativity and wisdom for life”. Albert promotes interactive technology outsourced to independent companies for design and manufacturing. As with other competitors, the Albert team used foreign social platforms to successfully promote its products.

Other participants included “i-life”, an anime online toy retailer boasting monthly revenues of RMB 10,000. The company is currently expanding into Russia and Brazil.

Photo: utexas.edu

The post How Well Can You Sell to Foreigners? Hangzhou Launched Contest to Find Out appeared first on The Nanfang.

Juan and Fabio are among the foreign experts who arrived in China and are loving it, as seen in this March 2008 news photo.

Common sense may have told us this, but we finally have confirmation from the Chinese government: the typical expat in China is male, doesn’t speak Chinese, and loves his adopted country.

The State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs sent a questionnaire to expats as part of its study on the living environment for expatriate workers. It found China is already among the world’s top destinations for expatriate workers and by far the most lucrative, but it still needs “to do better to hire and keep professional expats”, reported China Daily.

More than 2,000 people responded to the survey. It showed 74 percent of expats are male, and an astounding 73 percent could barely understand simple Chinese.

The study outlined a number of problems that concerned foreigners, such as medical and social insurance issues, as well as the educational needs of their children and the application process for work visas.

Chinese authorities have tried to make the work visa application process easier for expats, and even announced reforms to China’s rarely-seen green card program. In 2012, only 0.2 percent of China’s 633,000 expats held a green card.

The report failed to mention air pollution, an issue so important to some expat workers that Western companies are willing to pay “hazard pay” bonuses to those willing to work in China’s big polluted cities.

When asked what conditions could be improved for expats, the study found that 56.9 percent of respondents want better compensation, while many of their employers reportedly are unable to meet those demands.

Whatever their salary, expats are generally very happy to be in China. Over 70 percent of professional expat workers in China reported being very satisfied with their lives, and 75 percent of employers reported being similarly satisfied with these foreign expats, even if they are mostly males who don’t speak the language.

Related:

• 25% of Expats in China Make Over US$300,000 a Year
  
• Coke Now Paying Expat Staff Extra To Deal With China’s Air Pollution
• Foreigners Who Want To Work In Beijing Must Now Meet These Requirements
• CCTV Investigates Sketchy English Teaching Industry in China
• Getting a Chinese Green Card Will Now Be Easier Than Ever

[h/t the Beijinger]

Photo: FY News, dahe

The post China’s Typical Expat: Male, Doesn’t Speak Chinese, and Loves It Here appeared first on The Nanfang.

The suspect in the red T-shirt was arrested by patrolling police.

A Chinese-speaking foreigner in Henan was clearly having a “bad China day”. The British man overheard a conversation between two women on the streets of Zhengzhou when he flipped out.

According to the Henan Business Daily, the incident occurred while the victim was shopping for a cellphone with a friend. After walking past a foreigner wearing a pair of shorts, the woman allegedly exclaimed, “The weather is so cold, how can he be wearing shorts?” (Incidentally, the temperature that day hit a high of 27 degrees Celsius).

The man then tackled the woman, allegedly robbing her of her cellphone and RMB 3,000 in cash. The expat was later arrested by patrolling police officers.

Photos: Weibo

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