SINOTALKS.COM

Image: Peter Griffin, Chinese Characters
(Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s newly revised law on the use of simplified Chinese characters across the country has, among other requirements, new provisions increasing punishments imposed on parties who violate the law. If the Chinese Communist Party is indeed interested in resolving the “Taiwan issue” through peaceful reunification, the language differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be addressed. This approach would closely align with the “opinions” enumerated by Xi Jinping during his recent meeting with Taiwan’s Kuomintang Chairperson CHENG Li-wun: “foster spiritual harmony through a correct sense of identity […] with […] Chinese culture”. The revised law does make it possible to create exceptions allowing people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao to use traditional Chinese characters deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Yet a better and long-term approach is worth considering.

Image: Alix Lee, Liberty Plaza Gate
(Publicdomainpictures.net)

At his recent meeting with the Chairperson of Taiwan’s Kuomintang CHENG Li-wun, XI Jinping enumerated four “opinions” about cross-strait relations, including reunification. The principle “one country, two systems”—which China relied on to resume its sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao in 1997 and 1999, respectively—was not mentioned at all. This omission stands in contrast with how Xi has previously reiterated the importance of using this principle to resolve the “Taiwan issue”. A similar omission can be seen in China’s new 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. Has China adopted a new approach to resolving the “Taiwan issue”?

Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Installment, Car, Bank, Percentage
(Publicomainpictures.net)

Judicial protection of intellectual property (“IP”) rights in China has been perceived to be limited because, among other problems, the amounts of damages awarded by Chinese courts in IP infringement cases have historically been small. However, this state of affairs may be changing, as China’s Supreme People’s Court (“SPC”) rendered a landmark judgment in a case involving large-scale infringement of trade secrets, allowing the victims to receive an amount equivalent to almost USD 90 million as compensation. As analyzed by Nathan Harpainter and David Zhao, Co-Managing Editors of SINOTALKS®, the innovative approach taken by the SPC to calculate the damages in the landmark case is essentially based on the concept of “unjust enrichment”. The steps followed by the SPC to do the calculation are helpful but inadequate. To help China develop its jurisprudence in this important area, the two co-authors discuss related U.S. experiences.

Image: Petr Kratochvil, American Flag And City Buildings (Publicdomainpictures.net)

On March 6, 2025, Dr. Mei Gechlik, Founder & CEO of SINOTALKS^® gave a talk about China’s Guiding Cases and related topics to a group of attorneys at the U.S. Department of Commerce to deepen their understanding of China’s court system and latest developments.