Nobel Prizes and China’s Scientific Research

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Petr Kratochvil, Vintage Laboratory (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Shortly before the announcement of the winners of the 2025 Nobel prizes, an official newspaper of China published an article highlighting mismanagement of research funds and other problems inside Chinese research institutions. If left unaddressed, these problems will likely continue to limit China’s success in achieving scientific breakthroughs that are recognized by Nobel prizes. As these problems may also adversely affect China’s mission to build “new quality productive forces”, remedial measures are being rolled out to ensure that great scientific minds are fully utilized in the country.Read more

TikTok and China’s New Cases on Personal Information

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Identity Card (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s greenlight to allow American ownership of TikTok’s U.S. operations helps address concerns that Chinese ownership of this popular platform for short videos could put millions of U.S. users’ personal information at risk. This deal should alert Chinese leaders that other Chinese companies operating overseas could face similar challenges unless the country demonstrates its commitment to the protection of personal information. Two Guiding Cases recently issued by the Supreme People’s Court provide a glimpse of the judicial application of China’s rules on personal information. More importantly, these two de facto binding cases in China are just the beginning, as revealed by the highest court.Read more

Determining Damages in Trade Secret Cases: China’s Landmark Case vs. U.S. Experiences

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Category: SinoInsights™

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.Read more

AI, the Global South, & China’s Rural Areas

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: X Posid, Agriculture 9 (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s massive parade held in early September not only showed the country’s military strength but also led to signaling to the Global South that China’s science and technology capabilities may help the world’s less developed countries survive in the AI era. The Global South will observe intently how China introduces and implements AI-powered measures to modernize its own rural areas. China’s success on this front will help strengthen its relations with the Global South as the latter is likely to be interested in leveraging China’s experiences and support to accomplish modernization.Read more

China’s “K” Visas & NEW AI Plan

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Visa Appointment (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Slightly more than a month after creating “K” visas for “foreign young scientific and technological talents”, China’s State Council released a new AI plan. The timing is not coincidental. It reflects gradual steps taken by China to mobilize foreign young talents to help advance the development of AI in the country and the Global South, which is of strategic importance to China.Read more

AI Chips and China’s Talent Incubation

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Linnaea Mallette, Dragon Egg (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Allegations that Nvidia has equipped AI chips sold to China with “tracking and positioning” functions have led Chinese authorities to demand an explanation from the U.S. tech giant. While Nvidia may be able to address related concerns in this instance, Chinese leaders should have already been alarmed amidst fears about the potential use of imported chips and other high-tech products as a Trojan horse. As China’s need for home-grown technologies and talent is more urgent than ever, a talent incubation program that has been implemented for more than ten years by a Chinese drone manufacturer is likely to become an important model for replication in various high-tech industries.Read more

China’s Mineral Resources Law, Ecosystems, and Foreign Investment

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Jean Beaufort, Mining (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s revised Mineral Resources Law became effective on July 1, 2025, approximately eight months after the country’s legislature approved the adoption of a new regulatory system that recognizes the geopolitical significance of minerals and avoids irreversible damage to natural ecosystems. These and other regulatory changes will likely bring more domestic and foreign investment to Tibet to help solve a big puzzle: can Tibet better utilize its abundant mineral resources without compromising its natural beauty? If Tibet succeeds, the accomplishment will inspire China’s neighboring nations facing similar challenges and, as many in China hope, will also strengthen international cooperation in this area.Read more

China’s Newly Revised Law Combats Cross-Border Unfair Competition

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Claudette Gallant, Surrealism Scale A401 (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The global challenges facing China during the first six months of 2025 have led the country to take various measures aimed at strengthening the Chinese market and reducing international risks. One such measure is the revision of China’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law to combat unfair practices at home and overseas. Likely inspired by a case decided by the Supreme People’s Court in 2021, the revised law’s extraterritorial reach is expected to impact Chinese and foreign companies significantly.Read more

China’s Medical System Needs Care from the Top

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Anthony Poynton, Healthcare (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The recent celebration of the 120th birthday of the late Chinese leader CHEN Yun, one of the most prominent early members of the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”), has coincided with the occurrence of two medical scandals that have led to public outcry. The scandals have triggered widespread concerns about unqualified and unethical doctors and a medical system that seems to have allowed unfair practices. Were Chen Yun still alive, how would he handle this situation to restore public confidence?Read more

China’s Improved Global Image and Cultural Industries

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Circe Denyer, Asian Lantern Festival Background (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Two surveys recently conducted in 41 countries and 96 countries, respectively, show that respondents generally perceived China more favorably than the United States. These survey findings signal to Chinese leaders that their efforts to help improve China’s global image through the development of cultural industries have produced results. To President XI Jinping, in particular, these findings help fuel his latest plan to accelerate the transformation of China into a cultural power.Read more

China’s Unified National Market and Local Protectionism

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Gerd Altmann, Permission Granted (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The need to mitigate risks associated with uncertainty in the international market has forced Chinese businesses to increasingly focus on their domestic market to reach 1.4 billion potential consumers. However, protectionist practices by various municipal, county-level, and other regional jurisdictions in China favoring local businesses have presented challenges to non-local businesses. To solve the problem, the Chinese national leadership has stepped up its effort to establish a “unified national market”. A six-month campaign recently launched by national authorities is expected to produce results that will also benefit foreign businesses seeking to overcome market access barriers in China.Read more

China’s Military Courts Gain Power

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Lynn Greyling, Detailed Face, Clay Warrior Replica (Publicdomainpictures.net)

While the world was paying attention to Chinese troops’ participation in Russia’s Victory Day parade held at the Red Square on May 9, a new set of rules authorizing China’s military courts to exclusively handle more cases seems to have gone unnoticed. As the impact of these new rules is likely to be substantial, they should be better understood.Read more

Trade Secrets and Criminal Punishments

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Images: Mohamed Hassan, Handcuffed to a Dollar;
Linnaea Mallette, Spring Flowers Lightbulb Art (Publicdomainpictures.net)

A well-known Chinese business leader recently stated openly that her company does not hire any Chinese graduates or professionals returning from overseas to avoid potential infiltration by spies working for foreign entities. This remark has been widely criticized. While the business leader’s recruitment approach is quite extreme, her underlying concerns about potential loss of trade secrets are noteworthy. A new set of rules issued by Chinese authorities helps address these concerns by elucidating how individuals stealing trade secrets for foreign entities can be subject to severe criminal punishments.Read more

China’s Free Trade and Innovation Haven

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Dawn Hudson, Vintage Trade Poster (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Hainan, China’s island province located at the country’s southernmost point, appears to be a much-needed haven for companies struggling to survive the current tariff war. In 2020, the Chinese leadership released a large-scale plan to turn the entire province into a free trade port. Endowed with lower tax rates and other preferential treatments such as exemptions from certain legal restrictions, Hainan, which has a land area of only 33,920 square kilometers, may play a role commensurate with its special status to help China weather the tariff storm.Read more

China’s AI Patents and Compensation for Patent Infringement

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: GraphaizeSMM Marketing, AI Patent Trends Infographics (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China stood out in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s latest report on generative artificial intelligence (“GenAI”) as, compared with other countries, China invented the largest number of GenAI technologies from 2014 to 2023. This momentum of innovation should be welcomed by Chinese leaders but should also prompt them to ponder a key question: how can they help to maintain and grow this momentum and ensure that China’s “new quality productive forces” will continue to drive the country’s long-term development? A case recently decided by the Supreme People’s Court shows that China is developing robust legal solutions to these challenges, among other tools.Read more

DeepSeek, AI Agriculture, and China’s Zhejiang Province

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Piotr Siedlecki, Rays of Vegetables (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s struggle to transform agriculture with AI applications through his venture Sensei Farms may prompt one to wonder whether his vision to “improve human nutrition while preserving the world’s natural resources” can be realized. Chinese leaders share a similar vision. They feel compelled to turn this idea into reality because of the formidable challenge posed by the need to feed the country’s 1.4 billion people with the limited arable land available. To overcome this challenge, the Chinese leadership has set ambitious goals to develop agriculture utilizing AI and has designated Zhejiang Province—home to DeepSeek and a few other key AI companies—to lead the endeavor.Read more

A Talk for Attorneys at U.S. Department of Commerce

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Category: SinoNews&Events™

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.Read more

Data as Property in the AI Era: How China Formulates Related Rules Incrementally

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Image: Gerd Altmann, Big Data (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Chinese President XI Jinping’s mid-February meeting with founders of China’s innovative companies showcases the country’s “new quality productive forces”—a term coined by the president in 2023 to emphasize the role of innovation in driving the country’s long-term development. Despite the apparent collaboration prevailing in the meeting room, behind the scenes there is fierce competition among these and other innovative companies on many fronts, including the use of data, a valuable property in the era of artificial intelligence. China is acutely aware of the need to regulate the use of data, but the challenge is how to do so properly. Incremental steps taken by the judiciary and the executive in China provide a glimpse of the country’s exploratory approach to such regulation.Read more

Bolstering High-Tech Development: China’s “Supply” and “Demand” Solutions

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Category: SinoExpress™

Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Got Talent, Skill, Assessment (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The sudden emergence of DeepSeek has awakened the world to China’s high-tech capabilities. In the coming years, the country is expected to continue strengthening its efforts to increase such capabilities and nurture the development of its high-tech industries. To this end, China needs to ensure a continuous supply of high-tech talent and a strong demand for high-tech products from its population, which includes segments with limited digital and scientific literacy that may have the opposite effect, i.e., weakening such demand. To address these needs, China recently introduced certain measures.Read more

Rednote and a Foreign Artist’s “Half Victory” in China’s Courts

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Category: SINOTALKS® In Brief

Images: Andrea Stöckel, Vintage Art Music Cats;
Karen Arnold, Do Not Copy Stamp (Publicdomainpictures.net)

An appellate court in Beijing just delivered a victory to a Belgian artist in a five-year-long legal battle, upholding an earlier ruling of the Beijing Intellectual Property Court that his paintings have been plagiarized for years by a Chinese artist. A key step towards this victory was the Belgian artist’s success in keeping the case in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. Artists around the world seeking to protect their copyrights should understand both the positive actions this court took in this case and the confusion that remains as a result of the court’s decision, as well as why they should leverage platforms such as Rednote to avoid ordeals like the one experienced by the Belgian artist.Read more