Technology, Food, Health Care, & Foreign Relations;
Emojis & Contract Law†

技术、粮食、医疗保健以及对外关系；
表情符号与合同法

By: The Editorial Board of SINOTALKS^® / On: August 16, 2023

Table of Contents

SinoExpress™: Nearly 1,100 Subscribers in just one month!
Update #1: How the U.S. Order to Ban Tech Investments in China Could Backfire
Update #2: How China Can Support Africa’s Rice Production Industry
Update #3: Chinese Health Care and the Soloman Islands
Update #4: “Thumbs-Up” Emoji = Agreement?

Estimated Reading Time

4.8 min

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Images: Jennifer Olschefski, *Fractal Tech Disc Background*;
Circe Denyer, *IV Needle*; icon0 com, *Green Rice Farm*;
Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, *Chatting And Using Emoji* (Publicdomainpictures.net)

SinoExpress™: Nearly 1,100 Subscribers in just one month!

We launched SinoExpress™, a monthly newsletter of SINOTALKS^®, just one month ago to deliver select significant updates pertaining to China law, policy, and business. Since then, we have already gained nearly 1,100 subscribers. Thank you! To help these subscribers seize global opportunities, we quickly launched a public group on LinkedIn: SINOTALKS® Global Business & Development Network.

Serious professionals from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and other regions are strongly encouraged to join our new LinkedIn group. Members are welcome to share useful information that can help all group members seize opportunities around the world, especially in emerging economies where business and development have been hindered by inadequate information. Content posted on this public group can be read by anyone, including those without a LinkedIn account. Do not miss this global networking opportunity!

Update #1: How the U.S. Order to Ban Tech Investments in China Could Backfire

The U.S. order to ban certain tech investments in China will likely (1) bring Saudi Arabia and China closer; and (2) push more scientists of Chinese descent away from the United States, weakening the U.S. edge in technology. Dr. Mei Gechlik, Founder & CEO of SINOTALKS^®, explains that this prediction is supported by recent developments: (a) Saudi Arabia’s strong interest in the Chinese market; and (b) a study revealing how many Chinese scientists have departed the United States over the past decade, largely because of “the widespread fear of conducting routine research and academic activities” in the country. With funds (potentially from Saudi Arabia) and human capital (contributed by many of these scientists of Chinese descent who have gone to China), China might seize this opportunity to make progress towards its quest to develop homegrown disruptive technologies.

Worth noting:

The Biden administration may, therefore, need to reconsider its order. Some may argue that it is possible for the administration to woo Saudi Arabia away from China. Yet, Saudi Arabia’s rise in the international arena—as reflected in its ability to attract dozens of countries, including the United States, China, and the European Union, to participate in the recent Jeddah talks to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine—suggests that the Biden administration may need to offer Saudi Arabia a lot to dissuade the country from strengthening its relationship with China. How will the administration weigh its options?

Update #2: How China Can Support Africa’s Rice Production Industry

Magdalene Uzoechi, a Nigeria-based member of the SINOTALKS^® Global Business & Development Network, contributes her thoughts:

[…] Russia’s recent decision to pull out of the agreement that allowed Ukraine grains to be moved through the Black Sea is sending serious alarms across Africa.

Fears of [a] further rise in prices of food and hunger [are] evident all over the continent […]. Can policy makers in Africa see the disruption of the inflow of grains from Ukraine as an opportunity to put measures in place for more homegrown food security?

Worth noting:

Africa’s need for more homegrown food security makes the China Africa Rice Value Chain Conference more noteworthy. Organized by the World Food Programme, the conference was recently held in China and identified “low machinery rates” as a key challenge for much rice production in Africa. “The lack of financial solutions for accessing necessary machinery for production” has been identified as one of the causes underlying this challenge.

One fact was shared at the conference: “Many rice machineries manufacturers [in China] are small-medium sized companies based in Shandong or Henan provinces. Although [they] have the capacity to export necessary production machineries to Africa, they do not provide accompanying maintenance services in Africa due to a scattered market.”

Could coordinated efforts be undertaken by China and Africa so that African technicians can be trained to provide more affordable maintenance services?

Update #3: Chinese Health Care and the Soloman Islands

In July, China and the Solomon Islands jointly announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the nations so as to, inter alia, “deliver more benefits to the two peoples”. Specifically, China has pledged its support for “more Chinese companies in investing and doing business in [the] Solomon Islands”. Health care has been identified as one of the collaborative areas.

Worth noting:

According to the 2023 Legatum Health Index, China is ranked fifth, while Singapore, Japan, and South Korea are ranked first, second, and third, respectively. The index measures “the extent to which people are healthy and have access to the necessary services to maintain good health, including health outcomes, health systems, illness and risk factors, and mortality rates”. With this impressive record on health care, will China encourage more Chinese companies (or even joint ventures established between Chinese companies and their foreign counterparts) to invest in this sector in the Solomon Islands?

Update #4: “Thumbs-Up” Emoji = Agreement?

In a recent case, a Canadian court decided that the “thumbs-up” emoji (👍) is just as valid as a signature to indicate a party’s agreement to enter into a contract.

Worth noting:

In Guiding Case No. 196, the Supreme People’s Court of China adopted a liberal approach to establish this principle: the failure to form a valid contract overall does not affect the formation of an arbitration clause in the same contract so long as the parties have indicated their agreement to the clause. Will the above-mentioned Canadian decision inspire Chinese courts to further consider the “thumbs-up” emoji as a valid way to indicate acceptance of an arbitration clause?

^† The citation of this article is: The Editorial Board of SINOTALKS^®, Technology, Food, Health Care, & Foreign Relations; Emojis & Contract Law, SINOTALKS.COM^®, SinoExpress™, Aug. 16, 2023, https://sinotalks.com/sinoexpress/202308-english-foreign-relations-technology-food-health.