#Shipping Law Firms in China\

[performanceacademyofmusic]

Shipping Lawyers in China: Know More About It 

[internationalmaritimelawyers]

Shipping Lawyers in China: Know More About It 

Being the world's largest trading country, China provides an excellent platform for global and maritime trade. In addition to international trade lawyers of every kind, shipping lawyers in China ensure that any given business or operation is operated quite safely while controlling its risks at large. Are you one of those who want to collect more information on Shipping Lawyers in China, International Trade Lawyers in China? If Yes. This is the platform through which people can collect more information about Shipping Lawyers in China, International Trade Lawyers in China.

Role of Shipping Lawyers in China

Lawyers engaged in shipping laws in China basically deal with issues relating to maritime trade. From charter party agreement negotiations to cargo claims disputes, all these lawyers find application as shipping ventures cannot be contemplated without these very complex legal requirements involved.

In a country like China, with huge ports, Shipping Lawyers in China were of great importance to the smooth operation of the maritime activity, especially in its operations. Shipping lawyers would have to work for the operation of such an activity to run smoothly, especially for foreign companies that do not know the Chinese legal system.

Shipping Lawyers in China

The core interest of the Chinese international trade lawyers lies in the awareness of empowering businesses to comprehend the regulatory, customs, and compliance regime surrounding international trade. Most international trade lawyers specialize in advising clients on disputing import/export agreements, anti-dumping cases, or tariff classifications.

They are attorneys who specialize in drafting contracts that meet the standards of Chinese law and those set by international trade agreements. This would include WTO compliance standards up to the level of handling disputes arising from cross-border trade through a free trade agreement, knowledge that businesses making cross-border deals rely on to be successful.

A business organization is placed strategically when it enters into agreements with shipping and international trade lawyers in China. Such legal specialists are useful as they reduce risk, effectively provide dispute resolution solutions, and also ensure that they adhere to standards of regulatory compliance. With the existence of such professionals, a company can continue growing and operating without its legality being held under any uncertainty. These specialist lawyers are the best allies for any firm transporting goods, or for that matter, trading on the cross-border trade with China, in a quest for survival in the long term while seeking their way through the complexities of the legal landscape.

[mariacallous]

TikTok went all out to defend itself in a court hearing last Monday, to block a law that could force TikTok to be sold or banned in the United States. That included using one surprising strategy: to bring other Chinese apps down with it.

Earlier this year, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which aims to prevent national security threats from apps like TikTok, took less than two months to pass both the House and the Senate, before it was swiftly signed by President Joe Biden in April. It caught almost everyone by surprise, including TikTok. The law requires TikTok to find a US buyer to take over its operation soon, or face being banned in the US. TikTok promptly sued the government over it.

At the Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, on September 16, Andrew Pincus, a partner at law firm Mayer Brown acting for TikTok, argued that the law unfairly targets the social media app for the speech on the platform and that it violates the First Amendment. Specifically, Pincus said the law exempts other Chinese apps that could have been doing worse on the concern of data security protection.

“There are very significant ecommerce sites based in China and other places that collect much more data than TikTok does. Very sensitive data,” Pincus said. At another point in the hearing, he narrowed down the targets to “two Chinese, two e-commerce sites that would certainly meet all of the other criteria in the law.”

Pincus did not name-drop the two sites in his statements, but a TikTok court filing from August 15 cited the privacy policies of Shein and Temu—two ecommerce companies linked to China—to make the same argument Pincus made. The filing also cited research from April 2023 on the data risks of these two companies, collated by the US–China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Shein and Temu came from China’s fiercely competitive ecommerce industry and were able to take over the world by storm by shipping low-cost apparels and goods globally. Each boasts tens of millions of customers around the world, and they are often compared to TikTok as the rare examples of Chinese tech companies that have truly succeeded in the US.

TikTok, however, claims there’s an exemption clause in the PAFACA Act that essentially protects Chinese companies like Shein and Temu but not TikTok. When defining what companies are covered, the Act has only one exclusion: companies and products “whose primary purpose is to allow users to post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews.”

To be fair, the clause that TikTok highlighted was a bewildering inclusion from the beginning. Even some lawmakers claimed they weren’t sure why it was necessary to put in place such an exception.

But TikTok is seizing this opportunity to argue that, because the clause would likely protect Shein, Temu, and similar ecommerce sites that also have significant presence in the US and collect a wealth of privacy data, the Act is narrowly tailored to punish TikTok. It went as far as to claim that the clause shows Congress favors topics like products, business, and travel instead of politics, religion, and entertainment, making it a First Amendment infringement. The DOJ has denied this characterization in written court briefs.

It is a valid legal strategy, Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School, explains to WIRED, as the First Amendment can consider a law unconstitutional “if the law hinges on solving a particular problem, does so in an extremely limited way, and leaves the law unsolved.”

But the judge didn’t seem to buy the argument. “It’s a rather blinkered view that the statute just singles out one company,” said Judge Douglas Ginsburg during the hearing. “It describes a category of companies, all of which are owned by or controlled by adversary powers, and subjects one company to an immediate necessity because it’s engaged in two years of negotiation with that company, held innumerable hearings, meeting after meeting after meeting, [and] an attempt to reach an agreement on a national security arrangement which failed.”

The DOJ also replied to TikTok’s problem with the exclusion clause, saying in a court brief that if the clause were to be found problematic, the right solution would be to simply take out that clause about excluding businesses, instead of invalidating the whole law.

In recent years, data security concerns have become one of the main friction points in tech policies in the US and China. While the Chinese government passed a law that regulates cross-border data transfers, the US government has taken a more piecemeal approach, investigating risks posed by products like TikTok and Chinese-made smart cars.

Some experts and lawmakers advocate for a more comprehensive legal framework to solve this issue. “This bill not only fails to solve the problem, but also jeopardizes the free speech and livelihoods of 170 million Americans who use the app. Instead, Congress should pass a bill to prevent apps, whether it's TikTok or any other social media platform, from collecting or transferring data and make foreign interference in social media algorithms illegal,” said Representative Ro Khanna in an emailed statement. Khanna voted no on the PAFACA bill.

For now, Chinese ecommerce sites like Shein and Temu have faced much less scrutiny around data security than TikTok. But TikTok’s legal strategy of highlighting the alleged data security risks of other Chinese companies will no doubt put more pressure on them. If TikTok fails its legal challenge and is banned from operating in the US unless it is sold, it’s not hard to imagine that lawmakers might turn their attention to other prominent Chinese tech companies.

“There might be some kind of legal strategy behind this, but in terms of how the public will now perceive TikTok, it has voluntarily opted to be associated with Temu and Shein and has undone a lot of the narrative work it has been trying to do,” says Ivy Yang, the founder of Wavelet Strategy, a strategic PR consultancy who has worked in Alibaba’s PR department.

By comparing TikTok’s data security concerns to Shein’s and Temu’s, the company essentially has labeled itself among a number of Chinese companies considered security risks.

So far, Shein and Temu have not made any statement about the PAFACA bill and its potential implications on their businesses. A Shein spokesperson responded in an emailed statement: “SHEIN has robust data security policies and practices in line with industry standards, and we are committed to only collecting and using the minimum amount of data needed to fulfill orders. SHEIN stores US customer data within Microsoft’s US-based Azure cloud-based solution and within AWS’s US-based cloud-based solution.” Temu and TikTok did not reply to requests for comment.

These ecommerce companies have plenty of problems to deal with at the moment too. A September White House decision to scrap a tariff exemption policy could significantly increase shipping costs for them and harm their profitability. Meanwhile, the two ecommerce companies have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat legal battle in the US since July 2023, accusing each other of monopolistic practices and deceptive marketing.

“What they are doing is basically airing all the dirty laundry,” Yang says about the Shein–Temu court fights. “It’s very much, ‘We are competitors and we have to beat the other party no matter how far we go, even though as a whole it’s a terrible look on Chinese companies.’” The same problem is playing out as TikTok seemingly decided to take down its fellow Chinese companies to save itself in the court.

But TikTok’s gambit may not pay off in the end. Even if it successfully argues that the Congress shouldn’t just target one app for its data security risks, it still needs to refute the government’s other justification for the law—that TikTok could be subject to content and algorithm manipulation by the Chinese government in the future. “The law has used two justifications. [If] one is invalid and the other is valid, the law is still valid,” says Rozenshtein.

There has been no proof—at least not in the nonredacted materials—that the Chinese government is currently interfering with TikTok’s content in the US. But during last week’s hearing, none of the judges seemed interested in discussing this point with TikTok or the government.

“[TikTok] made the best argument they could. Just the argument went very poorly for them,” Rozenshtein says. “I don’t think it’s conceivable that TikTok will win, at least on this level.”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On THURSDAY (June 20) I'm live onstage in LOS ANGELES for a recording of the GO FACT YOURSELF podcast. On FRIDAY (June 21) I'm doing an ONLINE READING for the LOCUS AWARDS at 16hPT. On SATURDAY (June 22) I'll be in OAKLAND, CA for a panel and a keynote at the LOCUS AWARDS.

#20yrsago Why Microsoft should get out of DRM https://craphound.com/msftdrm.txt

#20yrsago Fark posts 1,000,000th link, Web surrenders https://www.fark.com/comments/1000000/Birds-learn-how-to-open-doors-at-Home-Depot-Finally-they-can-make-that-deck-for-birdhouse-In-other-news-this-is-1000000th-link

#15yrsago Vancouver cops affirm your right to take pictures https://web.archive.org/web/20090618134523/http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20090617_112051_8240

#15yrsago UK cop: ‘War on terror means no pictures of police vans in disabled parking spots’ https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2009/06/police-camera-action/

#15yrsago British cops stop and hassle thousands to “balance racial statistics” https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jun/17/stop-search-terror-law-met

#15yrsago Mind Over Ship: David Marusek’s hyperfuturistic, hyperimaginative soap-opera https://memex.craphound.com/2009/06/17/mind-over-ship-david-maruseks-hyperfuturistic-hyperimaginative-soap-opera/

#15yrsago Bozeman, Montana requires job applicants to hand over all social network logins and passwords for background checks https://web.archive.org/web/20090621103931/montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10551414&nav=menu227_3

#15yrsago Canadian cops want to wiretap the net https://web.archive.org/web/20090618223330/http://www.calgaryherald.com/Technology/Feds+give+cops+Internet+snooping+powers/1706191/story.html

#10yrsago Copyright trolls cut and run at suggestion that they’re a front for disgraced firm Guardaley https://www.techdirt.com/2014/06/16/once-again-as-details-questionable-copyright-trolling-practices-come-to-light-troll-desperately-tries-to-run-away/

#10yrsago London police’s secret “domestic extremist” list includes people who sketch protests https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/domestic-extremist-metropolitan-police-spying-elected-politician

#10yrsago Riot control drone that fires paintballs, pepper-spray and rubber bullets at protesters https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/desert-wolf-unveils-riot-control-drone/

#10yrsago Seattle paid $17.5K to “manage” online rep of public utility CEO https://web.archive.org/web/20140623210450/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023849447_citylightbrandxml.html

#10yrsago Oligopolistic America: anti-competitive, unequal, and deliberate https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-america-became-uncompetitive-and-unequal/2014/06/13/a690ad94-ec00-11e3-b98c-72cef4a00499_story.html?hpid=z3

#5yrsago Structural Separation: antitrust’s tried-and-true weapon for monopolists who bottleneck markets https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/17/structural-separation-antitrusts-tried-and-true-weapon-for-monopolists-who-bottleneck-markets/

#5yrsago Fox News poll has Trump losing to Sanders, Biden, Warren, Harris, or Buttigieg https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/16/fox-news-poll-bernie-sanders-would-beat-trump-9-points

#5yrsago Traverse City, MI braves the wrath of telcoms lobbyists, pushes ahead with municipal fiber network https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/traverse-city-light-and-power-approves-fiber-optic-internet

#5yrsago After Hong Kong’s leaders delay plan to render dissidents to mainland China, 2,000,000 Hong Kongers march and demand resignations https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-48655634

#5yrsago The UK government gave away cheap money for property purchase deposits, which the wealthy abused, driving up property prices and leaving UK taxpayers exposed https://wolfstreet.com/2019/06/13/uk-government-blew-billions-on-help-to-buy-scheme-that-enriched-home-builders-and-drove-up-home-prices-taxpayers-on-the-hook-when-prices-sink-new-report-warns/

#1yrago Pizzaburgers https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/17/pizzaburgers/

[warningsine]

The Philippines says it has “reached an understanding” with China on resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship that has been a key flashpoint between the two countries in the South China Sea

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed the “temporary arrangement” with the two sides agreeing to jointly manage maritime differences and de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea.

Manila deliberately beached a naval ship, the Sierra Madre, on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to reinforce its claims over disputed waters surrounding it, and it has since maintained a small contingent of sailors aboard the vessel who require resupply missions that China has been accused of repeatedly trying to block.

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) did not provide details on the “provisional arrangement’ agreed on Sunday for the resupply missions to the Sierra Madre but said it followed “frank and constructive discussions” between the two sides earlier this month.

“Both sides continue to recognise the need to de-escalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation and agree that the agreement will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea,” the DFA said.

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed the arrangement, adding: “The Chinese side still demands that the Philippine side tow away the ship and restore the original status of [Second Thomas Shoal] as if it were unmanned and without facilities,” a spokesperson said in a statement released early on Monday.

“If the Philippines needs to provide supplies to the ship’s occupants before the Philippines tows away the beached warship, the Chinese side is willing to allow the Philippine side to carry out the transportation and replenishment on humanitarian grounds,” the spokesperson said.

On Monday, Philippine foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement that Manila would “continue to assert our rights and jurisdiction in our maritime zones”, which included Second Thomas Shoal.

The foreign ministry also rejected suggestions by China that the “provisional arrangement” announced on Sunday required Manila to give Beijing “prior notification” and verification of deliveries to the BRP Sierra Madre, reports Agence France-Presse.

China also stood firm over its territorial claims regarding the disputed waters.

“If the Philippines transports a large amount of building materials to the ship and tries to build fixed facilities and permanent outposts, China will never accept it and will resolutely block it in accordance with laws and regulations, so as to safeguard China’s sovereignty,” the spokesperson added.

Philippine security officials also said on Sunday they would carry out the resupply missions on their own despite an offer of help from the US.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday the US would “do what is necessary” to ensure its treaty ally can resupply the Sierra Madre on the Second Thomas Shoal. Sullivan’s Filipino counterpart, Eduardo Año, said the resupply will remain “a pure Philippine operation”.

“There is no need at this time for any direct involvement of US forces in RORE [resupply] mission,” Año said in a statement.

Reuters had previously reported that the Philippines had turned down offers from the US to assist its operations in the South China Sea.

Tensions in the disputed waterway have boiled over into violence in the past year, with a Filipino soldier losing a finger last month in a clash that Manila described as an “intentional-high speed ramming” by the China Coast Guard.

Manila and Washington are bound by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, a pact that can be invoked in case of an armed attack against Philippine forces, public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea. President Joe Biden has affirmed an “ironclad” commitment to aid the Philippines.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, overlapping maritime claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. In 2016, a Hague-based tribunal said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, April 25, 2024

World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says (AP) The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report. The human rights organization said the most powerful governments, including the United States, Russia and China, have led a global disregard for international rules and values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with civilians in conflicts paying the highest price. Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, said the level of violation of international order witnessed in the past year was “unprecedented.” “Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law is compounded by the failures of its allies to stop the indescribable civilian bloodshed meted out in Gaza,” she said. “Many of those allies were the very architects of that post-World War Two system of law.”

Canada hitting the brakes on immigration (Washington Post) Canada’s broad support for immigration has set the country apart. The country is growing fast, with about 98 percent of the rise coming from immigration last year. But now, amid a housing affordability crisis and strain on social services, Trudeau’s government is rolling up the welcome mat for some immigrants. It has capped the number of permanent residents it will welcome, announced a temporary limit on international student visas and pledged to shrink the proportion of the population made up of temporary immigrants.

Pro-Israel groups planning to spend millions in US elections (Guardian) A handful of pro-Israel groups fund political campaigns in support of individual candidates in US elections, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a powerful force in American politics. Before the 2024 election, Aipac plans to spend tens of millions of dollars against congressional candidates, primarily Democrats, whom it deems insufficiently supportive of Israel. Aipac and other pro-Israel lobby groups have recruited and supported challengers to a number of lawmakers and candidates—most notably members of the Squad, the group of progressive representatives who are particularly vocal in their criticism of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The 2024 election will be bellwether of the enduring impact of these groups on US politics amid shifting US public opinion on Israel.

Cicadas are so noisy in a South Carolina county that residents are calling the police (AP) Emerging cicadas are so loud in one South Carolina county that residents are calling the sheriff’s office asking why they can hear sirens or a loud roar. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office sent out a message on Facebook on Tuesday letting people know that the whining sound is just the male cicadas singing to attract mates after more than a decade of being dormant. Some people have even flagged down deputies to ask what the noise is all about, Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said. Trillions of red-eyed periodical cicadas are emerging from underground in the eastern U.S. this month. The broods emerging are on 13 or 17 year cycles. Their collective songs can be as loud as jet engines and scientists who study them often wear earmuffs to protect their hearing.

Made in Mexico, but made by China (BBC) As the trade war between the US and China shows no sign of ending, Mexico has become an effective backdoor for Chinese capital. Many firms relocate to northern Mexico to save on tariffs and on shipping. The reclining armchairs and plush leather sofas coming off the production line at Man Wah Furniture’s factory in Monterrey are 100% “Made in Mexico”. They’re destined for large retailers in the US, like Costco and Walmart. But the company is from China. As the company’s general manager, Yu Ken Wei, shows me around its vast site, he says the move has made economic and logistical sense. “We hope to triple or even quadruple production here,” he says in perfect Spanish. The firm only arrived in the city of Monterrey in 2022, but already employs 450 people in Mexico.

With public universities under threat, massive protests against austerity shake Argentina (AP) Raising their textbooks and diplomas and singing the national anthem, hundreds of thousands of Argentines filled the streets of Buenos Aires and other cities on Tuesday to demand increased funding for the country’s public universities, in an outpouring of anger at libertarian President Javier Milei’s harsh austerity measures. Students and professors coordinated with the country’s powerful trade unions and leftist political parties to push back against budget cuts that have forced Argentina’s most venerable university to declare a financial emergency and warn of imminent closure. In his drive to reach zero deficit, Milei is slashing spending across Argentina—shuttering ministries, defunding cultural centers, laying off state workers and cutting subsidies. On Monday he had something to show for it, announcing Argentina’s first quarterly fiscal surplus since 2008 and promising the public the pain would pay off. “We are making the impossible possible even with the majority of politics, unions, the media and most economic actors against us,” he said in a televised address.

Ukraine moves to cut off consular services for military-age men abroad (Washington Post) Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would restrict consular services for Ukrainian men of military fighting age who have left the country, potentially cutting off their ability to renew passports or access other essential citizen services. Thousands of Ukrainian men are believed to have left their country rather than risk being drafted to help defend against Russia’s continuing invasion, even though martial law bars men age 18 and over from traveling abroad. Thousands of others were already living abroad, typically to work or study, when Russia invaded in February 2022. The law is intended to help Ukraine overcome a severe shortage of soldiers on the front lines, in part by expanding the pool of men eligible to be drafted.

In Ukraine, Testing New American Technology (NYT) Six years ago, Google signed a small, $9 million contract to put the skills of a few of its most innovative developers to the task of building an artificial intelligence tool that would help the military detect potential targets on the battlefield using drone footage. Now Project Maven has grown into an ambitious experiment being tested on the front lines in Ukraine. So far the results are mixed. The American experience in Ukraine has underscored how difficult it is to get 21st-century data into 19th-century trenches. The war in Ukraine has, in the minds of many American officials, been a bonanza for the U.S. military, a testing ground for Project Maven and other rapidly evolving technologies. The American-made drones that were shipped into Ukraine last year were blown out of the sky with ease. And Pentagon officials now understand, in a way they never did before, that America’s system of military satellites has to be built and set up entirely differently, with configurations that look more like Elon Musk’s Starlink constellations of small satellites.

Martian skies over Athens? Greece’s capital turns an orange hue with dust clouds from North Africa (AP) Skies over southern Greece turned an orange hue on Tuesday as dust clouds blown across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa engulfed the Acropolis and other Athens landmarks. Strong southerly winds carried the dust from the Sahara Desert, giving the atmosphere of the Greek capital a Martian-like filter in the last hours of daylight. The skies are predicted to clear on Wednesday as winds shift and move the dust, with temperatures dipping. On Tuesday, the daily high in parts of the southern island of Crete topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), more than 20 degrees C higher than what was registered in much of northern Greece. The strong southerly winds over the past few days have also fanned unseasonal early wildfires in the country’s south.

Without fanfare, the Philippines is getting richer (Economist) Visitors to the Philippines have ample time to imagine ways to make its transport system less frustrating. When not queuing in rickety airports, they are often stuck in traffic. A typical commute from an outlying suburb to the centre of Manila, the capital, takes two hours, including nearly 30 minutes waiting for a bus to show up. Yet things are improving. Roads are being paved, bridges built. The Philippines is often an afterthought for investors: neither a giant like India nor a manufacturing superstar like Vietnam. But growth has been brisk since 2012 (except during the pandemic). The economy has quietly boomed under a variety of regimes, from the liberal President Benigno Aquino (2010-16) to President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-22). Now, under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, growth is expected to be around 6% over the next few years. The World Bank says the Philippines will soon be an upper-middle-income country.

The U.S. is in retreat in a crucial part of the world (Washington Post) For boosters of U.S. security interests in Africa, the past few days carried grim tidings. At the end of last week, the United States informed the coup-plotting leadership of Niger that it would comply with its request to withdraw U.S. forces from the country, which had been operating in a counterterrorism role there for more than half a decade. Around the same time, reports emerged that authorities in Chad had sent a letter this month to the U.S. defense attaché based there, ordering the United States to cease activities at a base that also accommodates French troops. The potential withdrawal of a detachment of U.S. Special Forces based in Chad would mark yet another blow for the Western security presence in the Sahel—the vast arid region that stretches below the Sahara desert that has seen a wave of coups in recent years toppling fragile Central and West African governments. The U.S. exit in Niger follows the arrival of a detachment of Russian military trainers in the country this month. Some Nigeriens who spoke to my colleagues in the capital of Niamey see the junta exercising a new kind of sovereignty after years of overweening French interest. “Why is it a problem for the Americans and France that the Russians are helping us?” Abdoulaye Oussein, 51, said. “I think we’re free to make our own choices.”

Global defence budget jumps to record high of $2.44 trillion (Guardian) There’s something in the air this year, and according to the numbers, it’s the smell of war. In a new report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) claims that global military expenditure reached a record high of $2.44 trillion in 2023, a 6.8% increase from 2022. The report also shows that defense spending rose in all five regions of the world, marking the first time a global defense spending increase has occurred in Sipri’s 60-year history. “The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security,” said a senior researcher at Sipri. “States are prioritizing military strength, but they risk an action-reaction spiral in the increasingly volatile geopolitical and security landscape.” The two biggest military spenders in the world were the U.S. ($916 billion) and China ($296 billion). Their defense spending made up 37% and 12% of the entire world’s total military budget. The Kremlin’s military expenditure rose 24% in 2023 compared to 2022.

[xtruss]

G7 Stirs-up South China Sea Issue Once Again In Attempt To Create Chaos In Asia And Suppress China

— Wang Wenwen | April 20, 2024

Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

Once again, the G7 has pointed its accusing finger at China. The group’s Italy 2024 Foreign Ministers’ Statement issued on Friday claimed, “There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization, coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea.”

The club of so-called great powers in the West, the G7, which closely follows the footsteps of the US, reckons that it has the right to interfere in the affairs between China and neighboring countries. It ignores China’s legitimate and reasonable claims on the South China Sea and blindly discredits China. Sun Xihui, an associate research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the objective of the G7 is to create an image of a “bullying” China on the world stage, thereby suppressing China's development.

China's law enforcement actions related to the South China Sea islands and reefs are within the scope of China's sovereign rights. Its exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Huangyan Dao (Huangyan Island) and Ren'ai Jiao (Ren’ai Reef) are established on firm legal basis and undisputable. This has nothing to do with the so-called militarization in its true sense, because militarization means not only strengthening military construction, but also clearly issuing military threats to the other party.

China’s use of its coast guard to exercise jurisdiction over islands, reefs and waters within the scope of sovereignty is a common practice. This practice is not limited to China, therefore the argument that China is "militarizing" the South China Sea is simply untenable, according to Zhou Shixin, director of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

Since last year, the tensions between China and the Philippines have been flared up by the Philippines to make illegal claims over South China Sea islands and maritime rights. On March 5, two Philippine supply ships and two coast guard ships illegally intruded into the waters near Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea. They attempted to deliver supplies to a military vessel illegally "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao. The China Coast Guard (CCG) took necessary measures to deal with the Philippine ships in accordance with domestic and international law. On March 21, 34 Philippine personnel landed on Tiexian Jiao (Tiexian Reef) in the South China Sea, ignoring warning and dissuasion from the Chinese side. Regarding such violations, the CCG lawfully landed on the reef to investigate and address the situation. If similar incidents happen to G7 countries, they are likely to deal with it in a radical way, unlike China in a restraint manner.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, and in particular the dispute between China and the Philippines, the historical latitude and longitude and sovereignty ownership issues are very clear. Anthony Carty, an Irish professor of international law, spent years examining official British and French archives and found they back China's maritime claims. Member of the London Court of International Arbitration Mark Hoskin believes that historical records support China's claims in the South China Sea 100 percent.

However, Western countries deliberately turned a blind eye and are now seeking to blame China. They refused to explain the origins of the dispute to the international community, nor have they called out the Philippines' provocation against China. This gives Manila the illusion of being supported by the West and Manila is pushed to the front line of the West’s confrontation with China. The West uses this method to contain China and sow discord between China and ASEAN countries, thus bringing chaos to the Asia-Pacific region.

Zhou thinks that chaos in Asia may not be what the Philippines wants to see, but it is what the US and the Western countries is pushing for. The stability in Asia is in sharp contrast to the havoc Europe is currently mired in, as the Europe has become bogged down in the Ukraine crisis, with no end in sight. This combined with the West's influence declining at the global level. G7, the Western club with weakened authority in discussing the global economy and narrowing political representation, can only flame the flames of public opinion by issuing anti-China statements.

For the Philippines, it would be a tragedy to find itself acting as a Ukraine-style pawn of the West. It is hoped that the Philippine government and society will have a clear understanding in this regard and will not become cannon fodder for the G7 to confront China.

— The Author is An Editor with the Global Times.

[itsexclusive]

More than two-thirds of the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a defense policy bill on Thursday that includes a record $886 billion in annual military spending and authorizes policies such as aid for Ukraine and push back against China in the Indo-Pacific.

The House backed the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, by 310 to 118, with strong support from Republicans and Democrats. It was more than the two-thirds majority required to pass the measure and send it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law.

Separate from the appropriations bills that set government spending levels, the NDAA authorizes everything from pay raises for troops - this year's will be 5.2% - to purchases of ships, ammunition and aircraft.

Because it is one of the few major pieces of legislation that becomes law every year, members of Congress use it as a vehicle for a wide range of initiatives. It is also closely watched by major defense companies, such as Lockheed Martin, RTX Corp and other firms that receive Department of Defense contracts.

The vote for this year's bill, which is nearly 3,100 pages long and authorizes a record $886 billion, up 3% from last year, meant that Congress has passed an NDAA for 63 straight years.

The final version of the NDAA left out provisions addressing divisive social issues, such as access to abortion and treatment of transgender service members, that had been included in the version passed by the Republican-majority House over the objections of Democrats, threatening to derail the legislation.

The Democratic-controlled Senate backed the NDAA, also with a strong bipartisan majority - 87 to 13 - on Wednesday.

The fiscal 2024 NDAA also includes a four-month extension of a disputed domestic surveillance authority, giving lawmakers more time to either reform or keep the program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

That provision faced objections in both the Senate and House, but not enough to derail the bill. The Senate defeated an attempt to remove the FISA extension from the NDAA on Wednesday before voting to pass the defense measure.

The House and Senate had each passed their own versions of the NDAA earlier this year. The measure approved this week was a compromise between the two parties and two chambers.

The bill extends one measure to help Ukraine, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through the end of 2026, authorizing $300 million for the program in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024, and the next one.

However, that figure is a tiny compared to the $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine Biden has asked Congress to approve to help Kyiv as it battles a Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

That emergency spending request is bogged down in Congress, as Republicans have refused to approve assistance for Ukraine without Democrats agreeing to a significant toughening of immigration law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with lawmakers at the Capitol on Tuesday to make his case for the funding requested by Biden, but emerged from the meetings without Republican commitments.

[gbpinternatonal]

Outsource Manufacturing to Asia: Unlocking Business Opportunities with GBP International

In today's globalized business landscape, companies are constantly seeking ways to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and expand their market reach. One strategic approach that has gained significant traction is outsourcing manufacturing to Asia. This practice not only offers cost advantages but also provides access to skilled labor, advanced technology, and vast consumer markets. GBP International, a leading international business consulting firm in Asia with a strong presence in Asia, can be your trusted partner in navigating the complexities of outsourcing and managing your car fleet in the region.

The Advantages of Outsourcing Manufacturing to Asia

Cost Savings Outsourcing manufacturing to Asia, particularly countries like China, Vietnam, and Thailand, can yield substantial cost savings. Labor costs in these countries are generally lower than in Western countries, making it possible to produce high-quality products at a fraction of the cost.

Skilled Workforce Asia boasts a vast pool of skilled and semi-skilled workers. Many Asian countries have invested heavily in education and vocational training, resulting in a workforce that is proficient in various manufacturing processes and technologies.

Access to Advanced Technology Partnering with manufacturing facilities in Asia grants access to cutting-edge technology and production capabilities. This can be especially beneficial for industries that require precision engineering and innovation.

Scalability Asia's manufacturing ecosystem is highly scalable. Whether you need to produce small batches or large volumes, Asian manufacturers can accommodate your requirements, allowing for flexibility in your production needs.

Strategic Location Asia's geographical location places it at the center of global trade routes, making it an ideal hub for distribution and export. This strategic positioning can significantly reduce shipping costs and transit times for your products.

International Business Consulting Services

GBP International specializes in helping businesses navigate the complexities of international markets, particularly in Asia. Their team of seasoned experts offers a wide range of services tailored to meet your outsourcing and expansion needs.

Market Entry Strategy

Before outsourcing your manufacturing to Asia, it's crucial to have a well-defined market entry strategy. GBP International can assist in market research, competitor analysis, and market segmentation to help you make informed decisions.

Supplier Sourcing and Due Diligence

Identifying the right manufacturing partners in Asia is essential. GBP International conducts thorough due diligence to ensure that your chosen suppliers meet quality and compliance standards.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape in foreign markets can be challenging. GBP International provides legal counsel and support to ensure that your operations comply with local laws and regulations.

Risk Management

Business operations in Asia come with inherent risks. GBP International offers risk assessment and management services to mitigate potential challenges, such as political instability or supply chain disruptions.

Car Fleet Management in Asia

For businesses with a significant presence in Asia, efficient car fleet management in Asia is paramount. GBP International offers comprehensive fleet management solutions tailored to the unique demands of the region.

Fleet Optimization

GBP International helps you optimize your car fleet to reduce costs, improve fuel efficiency, and enhance overall productivity. Their expertise in route planning and vehicle maintenance can lead to substantial savings.

Compliance and Safety

Navigating the diverse regulations and road conditions in Asia can be daunting. GBP International ensures that your fleet operations are fully compliant with local laws and prioritizes safety through driver training and monitoring.

Technology Integration

Harnessing technology is vital for efficient fleet management. GBP International integrates state-of-the-art fleet management systems to provide real-time data on vehicle performance, fuel consumption, and driver behavior.

Cost Control

GBP International's cost control strategies help you monitor and reduce expenses related to your car fleet, enabling you to allocate resources more effectively.

Conclusion

Outsourcing manufacturing to Asia and managing a car fleet in the region present unique opportunities and challenges. GBP International's expertise in international business consulting and fleet management makes it the ideal partner to help you unlock the full potential of these endeavors. With their guidance, you can harness the advantages of Asia's manufacturing capabilities and navigate the complexities of fleet management, ultimately driving growth and success in the dynamic Asian market.

[mysticalmusicwhispers]

glimpses into a calmer universe

a gift for @luyous, because you once made some posts asking for indchu fics, and I started writing indchuran for the hell of it, but never finished until now. I think this could fit in the indchuran: bros for life AU but only after they get together, since there’s less pining than usual. Anyways, this is very overdue, but I hope you enjoy!

A little bit of domestic fluff. 3 glimpses into the indchuran universe through three different perspectives. Iran/Persia is Roshan, and they’re genderfluid.

Also on AO3!

———

The smell of food is wafting upstairs from the kitchen. It tempts Aditya sorely, and he tries to resist—he has a rather crushing workload to get through today—but five minutes later his feet are padding softly on the first floor landing, the tiles cool under his bare soles. He stops in the doorway, idly tracing the spots of afternoon sunshine dancing on the walls, and watches the figures of his two loves, side by side in the kitchen. Yao is standing in front of the stove, spatula in hand, and Roshan is at his side in front of the sink, busy washing something Aditya cannot see. They are talking quietly above the sizzle of the wok and the sound of water gushing out of the faucet, a perfect picture of domesticity, all easy smiles, gentle touches, quiet jokes and careless laughter. An intimate synchronization of movement, like their hearts are beating in time. It strikes Aditya that his heart suddenly feels like it is overflowing, and he supposes he’s done enough watching from afar—for today, at least. 

Yao hears him coming first, and turns around as he enters the kitchen, but doesn’t say anything, just acknowledges him with a smile and a softening of the eyes, and begins to heap the stir-fried ants-on-a-branch—the vegetarian variation, with diced shiitake mushrooms instead of minced meat—onto a plate. When Roshan sees him, Aditya is treated to a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek that smells like roses before they turn back to washing the spinach, cilantro, and parsley—Aditya thinks they’re for the reshteh that recently appeared in the kitchen cupboard—in the sink. 

He offers to help with the washing, or the onions (even though they make him cry, which always makes Roshan and Yao laugh), but Roshan pushes him lightly out of the kitchen and Yao makes sure he doesn’t go back in. So Aditya is forced to sit at their small dining table, debating whether to finish his work or enjoy the afternoon sunshine streaming in from the glass back door. The work, he decides, isn’t worth it, and instead he goes back to watching Roshan and Yao work. He refuses to think he is admiring them. 

Nevertheless, it isn’t long before he’s too caught up in staring that he doesn’t notice Yao nudging Roshan and whispering “Aditya’s pining again”. But when Roshan catches him staring, they just smile cheekily, wink, and blow him a theatrical kiss that still makes Aditya’s throat catch and his heart stutter, even after a year of dating them. When they turn back to chopping herbs, the sunlight catches on their hair, coating it gold. Aditya is reminded of Roshan’s name, and Yao’s—and their meanings: light, shining. 

He does not think himself sentimental, but sometimes—many times—he wonders if they were fated to be. And he supposes it is not too cliche to admit to himself, privately, that his partners are the lights of his life.

———

Yao pauses at the entrance of the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, still wondering whether it was wise to bring Aditya and Roshan along, and whether they will drag him to every place that sells anything vaguely shiny before leaving. But just as he thinks this, he makes the mistake—and it is definitely a mistake—of turning, and catches Aditya grinning at him, flashing an easygoing smile—a smile he’d do anything to keep, and he relents. But his regrets, or doubts, or whatever the vaguely self-preserving feeling in his chest is, must have shown on a slight frown or in an imperceptible sigh, because Roshan kisses his cheek and says,

“Come on Yao, we’ll handle ourselves. We won’t get distracted and we’ll be back at home in no time, exactly as you planned.” They wink at Aditya, which is never a good sign, but it’s still enough to wheedle him into agreeing, however fondly exasperated he is, and however certain he is that they will waste half the day away, as usual. He sighs again—the old man sigh, according to Roshan—but grumbles a “fine, but you need to pay me back in white rabbit”, and watches them veer off towards the artisan stalls, holding hands. Aditya’s hair glints brightly in the sun, and Roshan’s is dyed a rich, dark brown. Like two suns, hand in hand; one bright, the other warm.

Someone bumps into him, and Yao shakes himself out of his reverie. The grocery list is a mile long, and he doesn’t need to waste more time than is absolutely necessary, after all.

But finding all the things he needs to buy takes more time than he likes, and the walk to the Chinatown butcher’s to see whether they have halal live chicken— they don’t—takes even longer, so that it is almost noon (two whole hours, which he realizes with a pang) when he wanders back to the Ferry Building to find Aditya and Roshan in a small jewelry shop, excitedly inspecting a stand of earrings. He watches them for a second through the windows as Aditya holds a pair of dangling yellow lotus blossoms up to his ears and Roshan looks on admiringly. Yao is pretty sure he too is admiring Aditya—he looks truly beautiful, with the earrings and a modest smile and a bright twinkle in his polished obsidian eyes—but some part of him pulls him back into real time and reminds him that although it is a Saturday, he has no time to waste (stupid law firm), and he regretfully walks into the store to retrieve his partners. He thinks—no, he knows—it will be half an hour before he can pull them away from the (admittedly alluring) jewelry displays, but he supposes Aditya’s cheek kiss and Roshan’s cheerful gratitude will be worth it. Anyways, he can always bullshit case briefings and squeeze out extra time somewhere. He’d rather not rush this moment.

———

When Roshan finally trudges home after getting the week’s groceries, neither Yao nor Aditya are there to hold the door open for them, and there is no response when they call out an “I’m back” from the kitchen. They know Yao and Aditya are in the house—Yao’s Hello Kitty slippers are missing from the shoemat—so the only possibility is that they are ignoring Roshan. Sad. They sigh—rather theatrically—but heave everything into the refrigerator without calling a second time, and hope this will be a fair trade for them failing to find white rabbit in Chinatown for the third time in a row. 

Yao and Aditya, they find, are in the living room couch, engaged in another petty struggle over the remote. The newest Game of Thrones episode is playing on the TV Yao shipped from China, and Aditya is furiously muttering about “what a trashy white-produced rapefest show it is” and trying to swipe at the remote Yao grips with white-knuckled hands. Yao, for his part, has not retaliated much at all, besides scooting over to the other side of the couch and obstinately holding onto the precious remote. Roshan looks on for a time, amused, and watches Tywin Lannister’s face loom nastily over them all, until Aditya turns around and catches sight of them in the doorway. 

“Roshan, help me! You can’t possibly agree with Yao’s taste, can you?” Aditya looks thoroughly exasperated, and Roshan almost can’t believe how much his voice begs them to take a side. 

“No thanks. Aditya, you’ll have to fight the good fight by yourself; I’ll be in the kitchen making dinner.” They smirk, and decide that the way Aditya swells up with absolute fury is definitely worth whatever payback is coming. And as they walk back to the kitchen to start washing vegetables for dinner, there is a brief moment of silence as the TV switches off before everything descends into chaos. Yao's yelling now, and, by the sound of it, has started a pillow fight that Aditya joins in with enthusiasm. Roshan glances back, just in time to watch Yao whack Aditya with a flower patterned pillow and scream, 

"LET ME LOOK AT TYWIN LANNISTER AGAIN, ADITYA!" 

They are idiots, Roshan thinks with a smile, but they are their idiots.

———

Feedback is welcome and appreciated! thank you for reading :)

Notes

In the second scene, I just chose a notable farmer’s market in San Francisco at random hhhhh (apologies for any inaccuracies if anyone from CA is reading lol) the Ferry Building Farmers Market is pretty close to Chinatown, and although idk where they live in San Fran, Yao’s gotta get his white rabbit from somewhere right (the live chicken would be for chicken soup, but not the American kind)

Last scene inspired/taken from this ask! thank you bones, this was the fic I was talking about lol

the title was made up on the spot but I was thinking along the lines of “well this is a universe where the three of them are less of a group of bastards and also don’t have to contend as much with complex relations and just be lovers together”

In the first scene, there are two dishes I was referencing:

Ants-on-a-branch: 蚂蚁上树, whose proper name is ants climbing a tree, but I tweaked the translation a little. It’s a Sichuan dish that usually consists of vermicelli noodles cooked with minced meat (pork I believe) and a bunch of green onions and chopped peppers for spice (my parents also add stuff like wood ear, a fungus, and carrots and don’t add pepper but idk how “authentic” that is because we ain’t from Sichuan lol). For a lot of Chinese dishes you can usually substitute meat with shiitake mushrooms to make it vegetarian/vegan.

I tried to imply that the dish Roshan was planning to make is ash reshteh, a Persian dish of thick noodle soup with various herbs, onions, and peas. Kashk or yogurt whey is also a component of the soup and gives it its signature rich sour flavor. Because reshteh noodles are believed to bring good luck, ash reshteh is typically served around the Persian New Year, Nowruz, and at important events, but it can be theoretically be eaten at any time.

[internationalmaritimelawyers]

International Law Firms in China: Uncover Everything About It 

The growing requirement for specialized expertise in law in China has sprung from the economic powerhouse and lead role of China internationally in trade and commerce. Thus, international firms in China offering legal services across borders or a firm dealing within the maritime, shipping law firm in China and shipping law firm in China forms an indispensable nucleus for businesses facing complex legal problems. Are you someone who wants to gather more facts about the International Law Firms in China, Shipping Law Firms in China? If Yes. This is the best place where people can gather more facts about the International Law Firms in China, Shipping Law Firms in China.

International Chinese Firms: Expertise Outside Boundaries

International law firms provide holistic support to business entities involved in cross-border operations within China. These firms therefore bridge the gap between local and international markets with respect to knowledge of Chinese regulations and global legal frameworks, as their services often encompass contract drafting, trade negotiations, intellectual property protection, and dispute resolution.

Mergers and acquisitions in addition to joint ventures consistent with global best practices while being Chinese compliant can be handled by these companies to minimize the associated risk while offering strategic counsel so the business can enter the Chinese market in a confident manner and expand even further.

The maritime sector in China is a world hub for shipping, and, therefore, Shipping Law Firms in China who are cognizant with the intricacies of shipping and maritime law would be required in the industry. Chinese shipping law firms major in cargo claims, ship financing, vessel registration, and charter parties or disputes over contracts of carriage.

Beyond this, their expertise includes compliance with regulations. These firms can thus ensure that their business clients adhere to the international maritime conventions and those applicable in China. They offer the necessary legal assistance in case of cargo losses, dispute resolution, or ship purchases for the maritime industry.

Businesses partner with International Law Firms in China that assist them in finding professional advice, protect them legally, and give them strategic input on how to perform well in China's challenging competitive marketplace.

[mariacallous]

What’s fascinating about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is that he is both replicating former President Grover Cleveland’s rare feat of two nonconsecutive terms and is doing so on a tariff policy that would make Cleveland’s final successor, William McKinley, blush. The world may still be getting its bearings after Trump’s landslide victory, but historians of the 19th century are in fine fettle.

Trump, who took tariffs to new depths in his first term, has promised to make them the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda—alongside tax cuts, a bigger deficit, possible cuts to the safety net, and a reversal of everything outgoing President Joe Biden has done.

The questions about Trump’s tariff plans boil down to: How big, how soon, how, why, and what happens next?

The “how big” is tricky. Trump talked about a 20 percent tariff on all trading partners and 60 percent on China. He also mentioned tariffs as high as 200 percent, and whether that’s for individual firms (such as John Deere’s foreign imports) or countries that cross him, who knows? Economic modelers do not yet have a way to peer into Trump’s mind.

The “how soon” is also hard to answer, because that depends on the why and how. In his first term, Trump was able to levy tariffs—to be clear, those are effectively taxes on imports paid by U.S. consumers and businesses—on everything from Chinese appliances to German steel. There were, and are, statutory means to do so, notably Section 301 of U.S. trade law that allows for tariffs on countries that compete unfairly, as China has manifestly done since it joined the World Trade Organization a quarter century ago. Imports assessed by the U.S. government to undermine national security, such as Turkish rebar used to hold up buildings, can be hit with tariffs under Section 232 of the 1974 National Trade Act.

Not everyone believes that the White House can hijack trade policy, since trade is technically still in the purview of Congress. But there is a lot of leeway for presidential action under numerated sections of old trade policy and the devolved authority that comes from having the courts side with the executive branch. He could do it all again or face lengthy fights in the courts, in which case it would be a while before his tariffs hit full swing. Nobody knows.

The “why” remains puzzling. Trump himself has mooted tariffs as a replacement for income taxes—an homage to McKinley. His supporters, on the other hand, say the proposed tariffs are only negotiating leverage to get trade partners to play ball. Play ball how? Trump’s “greatest deal ever” with China resulted in few U.S. exports and zero change in China’s manipulation of loans, laws, and subsidies to finance its export workshop to the world. U.S. tariff rates are now higher than those of most trading partners. If the United States has a gaping trade deficit—which it does, and it only grew larger under Trump—and if that deficit mattered at all, how would strong-arming trading partners redress that? Nobody knows.

Answering what happens next is perhaps easier: a trade war. Europe has already manned the ramparts; those poor souls in France who ride Harleys and drink Jim Beam will rue the day. China will let the yuan slide until its amphibious ships are ready to restore order. Emerging markets are buying sand for sandbags, only it has all gotten pricier overnight.

Europe, in the form of both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and bigwigs such as French President Emmanuel Macron, has already tendered an olive branch, fearing what it knows is in store.

[articlemission]

General Trading Companies in Dubai

Dubai is a trading hub of the world. The city boasts of the largest number of foreign investment firms, which make it one of the leading business destinations in the world. There are several international trading companies in Dubai who operate through the online mechanism. These trading companies in Dubai have offices in various parts of the world and they have large number of branches. They have also signed an agreement with the Dubai government to expand their trading activities in the emirate. This has further increased the demand for the property in Dubai.

There is a huge demand for property in Dubai from both national and international investors. The Middle East is the home of most of the multinational companies. The companies are constantly on the look out for suitable locations to open new branches and gain footholds in the rapidly growing Middle East. This has made the job of the Dubai real estate agents very difficult because there are very few properties available for sale or rent.

There are more electronics trading companies in Dubai. This has become one of the lucrative fields in Dubai. There are several reasons behind this trend. Companies looking for a cheaper method of shipping their products to their final destination prefer purchasing the products directly from the manufacturer, which is where the Dubai electronic market comes in.

Another reason behind the general growth of the electronic market in Dubai is the ease of doing business in the city. The laws and regulations regarding trading in the country are much more relaxed than those applicable in the uae or the rest of the Gulf region. The general population of the city is well educated and highly proficient. These factors work as an advantage for the companies in Dubai, who can flourish and earn good profits in doing business in dubai. There are many indirect investors from Asia, especially from China, who purchase property in Dubai. They play a major role in pushing up the prices of properties in Dubai.

There are many quality products available in Dubai from leading companies in the global marketplace. This makes it easier for people to buy property and invest. The price of the properties in Dubai is quite reasonable compared to the prices in the uae or the other regional countries. Some leading general trading companies in dubai offer properties and apartments at quite affordable prices.

You should approach only those trading companies which have been operating in Dubai for some time and have a reputation of providing excellent service. You should ask for a complete list of the services that they provide along with their rates. This will help you to know whether you are getting a good deal from a trading company or not. You can also ask for the list of clients of the company. With the right information in your hands, you can easily decide which trading company llc in Dubai is the best one for you. 

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Biden’s Infrastructure Push Spurs a Flurry of Lobbying in Congress (NYT) Members of Congress have begun a frenzy of lobbying to ensure that their pet projects and policy priorities are included in President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, eager to shape what could be one of the most substantial public works investments in a generation. Officials across the country are dusting off lists of construction projects and social programs, hoping to secure their piece of a plan aimed at addressing what the administration estimates is at least $1 trillion worth of backlogged infrastructure improvements, as well as economic and racial inequities that have existed for decades. “My phone is blowing up,” Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, said in an interview. Nearly every lawmaker “can point to a road or a bridge or an airport” in his or her district that is in dire need of repair.

Truck seized over ‘munitions of war,’ 5 forgotten bullets (AP) Gerardo Serrano ticked off the border crossing agents by taking some photos on his phone. So they took his pickup truck and held onto it for more than two years. Only after Serrano filed a federal lawsuit did he get back his Ford F-250. Now he wants the Supreme Court to step in and require a prompt court hearing as a matter of constitutional fairness whenever federal officials take someone’s property under civil forfeiture law. The justices could consider his case when they meet privately on Friday. It’s a corner of the larger forfeiture issue, when federal, state or local officials take someone’s property, without ever having to prove that it has been used for illicit purposes. Since 2000, governments have acquired at least $68.8 billion in forfeited property, according to the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm that represents Serrano and tracks seizures. The group says the number “drastically underestimates forfeiture’s true scope” because not all states provide data. Serrano’s troubles stemmed from some pictures he took along the way of a long trip from his home in Tyner, Kentucky, to visit relatives, including a dying aunt, in Zaragosa, Mexico. The photo-taking attracted the attention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Eagle Pass, Texas. When Serrano refused to hand over the password to his phone, the agents went through the 2014 silver pickup truck in great detail. They justified its seizure by saying they found “munitions of war” inside—five forgotten bullets, though no gun. Told to park the truck, he said, he complained a bit before one agent reached into the pickup, opened the door, unfastened Serrano’s seat belt and yanked him out of the vehicle. “I got rights, I got constitutional rights and he snaps back at me, ‘You don’t have no rights here. I’m sick and tired of hearing about your rights.’ That took me aback,” Serrano said.

Should the U.S. boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China? (Washington Post) As if there aren’t enough sources of Sino-U.S. friction already, an emerging new irritant may soon outpace the rest: the growing calls for a boycott of Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics. The games are still 10 months away. But it’s not too early for the event to turn into a flash point. Critics of China’s ruling Communist Party—including a coalition of more than 180 human rights organizations—argue that the regime’s record of human rights abuses and geopolitical malfeasance ought to deprive it of the right to burnish its image with a spectacle like the Olympics. “Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Olympics in 2015, the same year it cracked down on lawyers and activists across China,” Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao wrote earlier this year. “Since then, it has detained journalists; harassed and attacked activists and dissidents even outside China’s borders; shut down nongovernmental organizations; demolished Christian churches, Tibetan temples and Muslim mosques; persecuted, sometimes to death, believers in Falun Gong; and sharply increased its control of media, the Internet, universities and publishers.” An Olympic boycott has become a popular cause among Republicans. Major sporting events—and especially international spectacles like the Olympics—always bear a political dimension.

‘Huge’ explosion rocks St. Vincent as volcano keeps erupting (AP) La Soufriere volcano fired an enormous amount of ash and hot gas early Monday in the biggest explosive eruption yet since volcanic activity began on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent late last week, with officials worried about the lives of those who have refused to evacuate. Experts called it a “huge explosion” that generated pyroclastic flows down the volcano’s south and southwest flanks. “It’s destroying everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center, told The Associated Press. “Anybody who would have not heeded the evacuation, they need to get out immediately.” The ongoing volcanic activity has threatened water and food supplies, with the government forced to drill for fresh water and distribute it via trucks. “We cannot put tarpaulin over a river,” said Garth Saunders, minister of the island’s water and sewer authority, referring to the impossibility of trying to protect current water sources from ongoing falling ash.

Colombia’s cartels target Europe (The Guardian) At 5 am on a chilly Tuesday morning last month, 1,600 police officers and balaclava-wearing special forces, bristling with arms and battering rams, were ordered into action around the Belgian port city of Antwerp. More than 200 addresses were raided in what was the largest police operation ever conducted in the country and potentially one of the most significant moves yet against the increasingly powerful narco-gangs of western Europe. An incredible 27 tonnes of cocaine have been seized on Antwerp’s quays, in container ships and safe houses, with an estimated value of €1.4bn (£1.2bn), and many arrests have been made. It has been hailed as a mighty blow against what Belgian federal prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw calls “a world where morality has totally disappeared”, but Operation Sky has also highlighted a chilling development. Europe has eclipsed the US as the Colombian cartels’ favoured market, because of higher prices and much lower risks posed by European governments in terms of interdiction, extradition and seizure of assets. Jeremy McDermott, a former British army officer who is now executive director of the thinktank InSight Crime, said a kilogram of cocaine in the US is worth up to $28,000 wholesale but that rises to $40,000 on average in Europe, and nearly $80,000 in some parts of Europe. “It is more money for less risk. I see a deliberate decision by some of the top-level Colombian traffickers, based on sources who sat in a series of meetings in 2005-6, where the business decisions were made,” McDermott said. “It is a business no-brainer.”

Conservative Ex-Banker Headed to Victory in Presidential Election in Ecuador (NYT) Guillermo Lasso, a 66-year-old conservative former banker, was set to win Ecuador’s presidential election and beat out Andrés Arauz, a 36-year-old leftist handpicked by former President Rafael Correa. With more than 94 percent of the votes counted after 10 p.m., Mr. Lasso had 52 percent compared with Mr. Arauz’s 47.32 percent, according to the Electoral Council official counting system in Ecuador. Mr. Arauz conceded defeat. The vote signaled a desire, at least among some, to shift right following years in which Mr. Correa has held sway over the country.

England reopens with pints pulled, shopping sprees and hair cuts (Reuters) People queued up outside retailers across England on Monday to release their pent-up shopping fever and some grabbed a midnight pint or even an early haircut as England’s shops, pubs, gyms and hairdressers reopened after three months of lockdown. After imposing the most onerous restrictions in Britain’s peacetime history, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the reopening was a “major step” towards freedom but urged people to behave responsibly as the coronavirus was still a threat. Getting people spending again is crucial for Britain’s recovery after official data showed that 2020 was the worst year for its economy in more than three centuries with a 9.8% decline in gross domestic product.

Tropical Cyclone Seroja flattens Australian town (Washington Post) A tropical cyclone battered Australia’s west coast Sunday night and into Monday, destroying homes and leaving thousands without electricity. Severe wind gusts of up to 105 miles per hour tore houses apart and sent debris flying all over Kalbarri, a coastal tourist town of 1,350 people in Western Australia. Authorities estimated some 70 percent of the town’s buildings were damaged. Drone footage from the scene showed dozens of homes with their roofs ripped off. Power lines were down and roads were littered with shards of metal and other debris. Cyclone Seroja made landfall as a category three storm at about 8 p.m. local time on Sunday between the towns of Kalbarri and Gregory. Cyclones of such intensity rarely travel this far south in Australia, and towns outside the cyclone belt are not usually built to withstand the devastating conditions.

Muslims navigate restrictions in the second pandemic Ramadan (AP) For Ramadan this year, Magdy Hafez has been longing to reclaim a cherished ritual: performing the nighttime group prayers called taraweeh at the mosque once again. Last year, the coronavirus upended the 68-year-old Egyptian’s routine of going to the mosque to perform those prayers, traditional during Islam’s holiest month. The pandemic had disrupted Islamic worship the world over, including in Egypt where mosques were closed to worshippers last Ramadan. Ramadan, which begins this week, comes as much of the world has been hit by an intense new coronavirus wave. For many Muslims navigating restrictions, that means hopes of a better Ramadan than last year have been dashed with the surge in infection rates though regulations vary in different countries. A time for fasting, worship and charity, Ramadan is also when people typically congregate for prayers, gather around festive meals to break their daylong fast, throng cafes and exchange visits. Once again, some countries are imposing new restrictions.

Iran blames Israel for sabotage at Natanz nuclear site (AP) Iran on Monday blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged the centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium there, warning that it would take revenge for the assault. The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh represent the first official accusation leveled against Israel for the incident Sunday that cut power across the facility. Israel has not directly claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion fell immediately on it as Israeli media widely reported that a devastating cyberattack orchestrated by Israel caused the blackout. If Israel was responsible, it would further heighten tensions between the two nations, already engaged in a shadow conflict across the wider Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met Sunday with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, has vowed to do everything in his power to stop the nuclear deal. According to US intelligence officials, it could take more than nine months to resume enrichment in the nuclear facility.

Abductions and Torture Rattle Uganda (NYT) Armed men in white minivans without license plates picked up people off the streets or from their homes. Those snatched were taken to prisons, police stations and military barracks where they say they were hooded, drugged and beaten—some left to stand in cellars filled with water up to their chests. The fear is still so palpable in the capital, Kampala, that many others have gone into hiding or left the country. Three months after Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, won a sixth five-year term in office in the most fiercely contested election in years, his government appears to be intent on breaking the back of the political opposition. His principal challenger, Bobi Wine, a magnetic musician-turned-lawmaker who galvanized youthful crowds of supporters, is now largely confined to his house in Kampala. Mr. Wine’s party said on Friday that 623 members, supporters and elected officials have been seized from the streets and arrested in recent weeks, many of them tortured.

Prince Philip’s mourners in the South Pacific (Foreign Policy) The death of Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, triggered mourning rituals across the country over the weekend. The mourning is not only reserved for the United Kingdom—on one of Vanuatu’s islands, Tanna, hundreds of members of a local tribe have long venerated Prince Philip as akin to a god, and are preparing to mourn his passing. Although it’s unclear how the Prince Philip Movement began, it is believed to have taken root in the 1970s—given life by the royal couple’s visit in 1974. Key to the movement is the belief that Prince Philip is one with the tribe, and fulfilled a prophecy of a tribesman who had found a powerful wife overseas and “would return some day, either in person or in spiritual form,” Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist, told the BBC.

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Air Freight Forwarder: Guidelines for Choosing a Trustworthy Air Freight Forwarder

An Air Freight Forwarder can be a firm or an person in buy to do the business enterprise of transporting items from just one area to other. It is very vital to pick out the suitable services company for companies to increase globally. An Air Freight Forwarder especially uses airplanes for cargo dispatching as carriers. From the spot of goods origin to place, the service supplier settles all the paperwork of cargo transportation. For offering the most effective expert services, the assistance provider should be extremely skilled and ought to have knowledgeable enough to handle all job with the obligation of the security of client's goods competently. It is not required for air freight forwarder to be a big company. It can be a tiny company that is conveniently readily available and supply fantastic expert services to its purchasers. Largely, it has to be major adequate to cater all its clients' wants and should really be able to deliver expert services even when holidays are on and guarantee the customers that shipping and delivery specifications will be cope with outstandingly. It is incredibly important to opt for an set up provider company that not only point out the selection of years that a business has been in procedure but also refers to the economical security of the freight organization. It is just one of the most essential matters to think about when choosing an Air Freight providers that the for a longer time the freight organization is in enterprise indicates fiscally it is completely capable to cope with this enterprise. You can examine the bank file of the business prior to finalize it. Just before using the services of the freight expert services, you need to make confident that the company you are selecting has some expertise about your merchandise and have ample know-how to deal with your merchandise. Prior to the shipping, they really should make the vital preparations and must know if there is any unique want for transport merchandise. They really should be an skilled in deciding on the suitable way to manage your venture and know better about what is actually to be performed with your goods. They should be capable to assist you for earning rapid, protected and reasonably priced dispatching tips. It is also incredibly essential for Freight Forwarders to have huge expertise about procedures and laws that are pertinent to your cargo specifically if you are offering your merchandise overseas. Furthermore, it will preferable if they give problems and omissions insurance policies to safe your products and solutions and gross sales in scenario freight forwarder completed any destruction in the course of transportation approach. A service company that assures the protection and security of your products is very best choice. It will be additional helpful if you like a freight corporation that has extensive and very good associations with other Customized Broker or Personalized agents in your target industry. When your services provider has excellent network of brokers, it will help your items to be transported incredibly easily to the defined desired destination.   If you enjoyed this post and you would certainly such as to obtain additional information concerning Freight from China to Uk kindly browse through our own page. So, before continuing, make positive that you received know adequate about the handling capacity of the support provider you are finalizing. A freight provider supplier that has many connections may possibly maybe supply the perishable products ahead of they expire. So it is critical to decide on one particular that has a superior network of world agents about. It is also vital to notice if the freight provider supplier is able to converse to the related agent or using acceptable time to obtain and describe the issues necessary to be done prior to cargo start. Knowing about the paperwork and awareness of managing the transported items presents a deep affect on productive project supply.  

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Environmental Marketing Consultant Cambodia

The ambition of the organisation was to reach beyond options provided by present service suppliers by adding sophisticated analysis and ongoing retail advertising providers to its existing strengths as mall administration and operators. 

By creating a truly comprehensive service offering, The Mall Company offers the one complete retail real estate and mall administration resolution in Cambodia.

Almond Hospitality Group offers complete or partial resort & restaurant administration services; building from a strong base of years of experience in creating successful brands for hotels to prime-notch F&B outlets in Cambodia. Singapore, 12 June 2015 — Deloitte Southeast Asia expands its regional footprint by officially opening its Cambodia follow today. 

Joining 10 other native practices – Brunei, Guam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Deloitte Cambodia aims to draw on the regional and international experience inside the Deloitte community to deliver high quality services to firms working in or out of the country. 

Here, we believe that a sense of camaraderie and open communication inside the team are critical in constructing a high performance staff. Azuri Engineers is licensed to provide professional engineering services by the Professional Engineers Board .

Chief APO Resource Person for this in-county Development of National Productivity Organisation implementation program that skilled a total of 18 Consultants of the Malaysia Productivity Corporation in January 2012. Together with two other Resources Persons from Japan and Taiwan, the school brought members through 2 weeks of intensive coaching on superior productiveness matters of enterprise innovation and process reengineering. 

Through our expansive trade experience within PwC, we assist create integrated, finish-to-end digital solutions from strategy and innovation via to execution to solve our purchasers’ most complex enterprise challenges. Our regional presence brings access to one of the best of native data and a longtime network of sector expertise across South East Asia. 

Asia CEO Awards presented by Aseana City represents the grandest alliance of native and worldwide enterprise individuals ever created to advertise Philippines on the world stage.

 As one of many largest occasions of its type within the Asia Pacific region, it is thought of a must-attend event for business leaders active in Southeast Asia. We can improve your in-house Project Management skills through a combination of formal and informal training in both Project Management Methodologies and Soft Skills Training in managing project groups in addition to the connection with external customers.

Our earlier clients embrace both national and worldwide and United Nations corresponding to International Center on Research on Women , World Bank, FAO, UNDP, UNIDO, ILO, VSO, FACT, Survey Distribute Ltd, and so on. EDI is devoted to the success of our shoppers by offering probably the most trusted and respected professional research and consulting providers for the nation's business group. 

Oliver Ho & Associates is nicely-trained consultancy firm in every area of business management. Each of our consultants are capable of create an tough environment to audit your small business. Soon after we will provide in-depth suggestions to additional increase the standard management of your organization. 

You will establish efficiency gaps and training alternatives and ensure the easy operations of all L&D programs and initiatives. You will serve as consultant for performance management activities including talent mapping, objective setting and particular person development planning.

Deloitte Cambodia can faucet into this full spectrum of world and regional insights, and at the similar time, present in-depth local market data which is crucial when navigating the local enterprise, tax and regulatory setting. Our mission is to be recognised by our repeat and new shoppers as a reliable skilled consultancy agency, that understands and adds worth to their businesses.

 Alphasearch is an Asia-Pacific centered Executive Search firm that gives business and functional experience delivered by a group of extremely skilled recruitment professionals. The capability of Alphasearch extends throughout Commerce, Industry and Professional Services with each distinct sector driven by highly-reputed industry and useful specialists. 

Alphasearch is particularly noted for its success supporting the regional 'Emerging Markets' and it presents a superb track-record of success constructing complete teams in addition to delivering ad hoc appointments. Interested candidates will supply no less than 10 years’ senior-stage F&B management expertise complemented by P&L accountability and multi-territory/website accountability ideally gained within a multinational, branded F&B enterprise. 

In addition, the profitable candidate could have proven capability to lead and inspire multi-functional teams to ship high efficiency whilst also providing experience in building relationships with Franchise Partners.

The course lined sharing of the experiences masking more than 18 productiveness methods utilized in Singapore and Philippines. Chief Resource Person to plan, supervise and conduct the 2-week in-Country Advanced Development of Productivity Practitioners Course training forty consultants for Thailand Productivity Institute in Thailand in 2009. The course coated sharing of the experiences overlaying greater than 30 productivity techniques utilized in Singapore, India and Malaysia. 

Technical Expert on Productivity and Consultancy for the Development of Productivity Specialist course organized by the Development Academy of the Philippines and the Asian Productivity Organization since 2002. The work involved preparing and coaching of government officers from National Productivity Organisations, in the in-company productivity diagnosis of firms within the Philippines. 

Conducted 9 runs of the course training 250 members from Asian countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao DPR, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Brunei. Technical Expert for the Asian Productivity Organization for the project on Structured On-the-Job training in Malaysia for the Malaysian Productivity Corporation in the course of the period 2007 and 2009.

The growth, scheduled for completion in 2020, may also characteristic a 3rd fifty five-storey tower containing places of work and a 300-room Shangri-La Hotel, atop a five-storey retail podium. Residential unit sales for Tower 2 will go international next month with a Singapore launch, deliberate be adopted by further launches in China and Hong Kong later this yr.   startup management meaning

CK&A Consultancy International Pte Ltd has a comprhensive position on the project, offering design providers for Town Planning, Architecture, C&S + M&E Engineering and Traffic Engineering, as well as Project Management.

Meinhardt Group has just lately expanded its world operations with the opening of its new workplace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Member firms are independently constituted and controlled in accordance with relevant native legal requirements. Services offered by a member agency are governed by the phrases of engagement between the member agency and the consumer. 

Acted for the Stock Exchange of Thailand in relation to authorized comparative examine on capital market associated laws focusing on shareholder protections. Acted for Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese multinational conglomerate company, in relation to its Cambodian three way partnership firm’s labour registration and other regulatory filings.

My success in building lasting consumer relationships is evident via the belief placed in me by my purchasers and the numerous referrals that I have obtained from them in consequence. During 2017 I accomplished numerous massive and small workplace leasing transactions, in addition to finishing numerous, complicated valuation and consultancy reviews.

He can be confident that Deloitte Cambodia will play a key position in uplifting and transforming accountancy sector to another level of superior stage. Deloitte is presently the most important professional companies organisation on the earth with mixture revenue of US$34.2 billion and a headcount of over 210,000 professionals.

 Azuri Engineers Pte Ltd is a younger and dynamic firm with offices in Singapore and Cambodia. "Conjunct Consulting is a meaningful project that helps VWOs align their strategy with their mission. This platform offers the scholars an actual experience of the corporate world and appreciation of the Social Service Sector." Our strategy initiatives could also be adopted by an implementation project for profitable execution. 

Tight research and reliable information are needed for grant proposals, evaluations, fiscal monitoring, useful resource allocation and project planning. We also can help you analyse and draw insights from the programme data you could have collected.