China Direct

UK-CHINA Lifestyle Newsletter Nov 2021

Dear CBI Members and Partners,

Kindly find the latest UK-China Lifestyle Newsletter covering the latest developments in brands, consumer goods and related sectors.

Our sincere thanks to Rebecca Li of DIT Shanghai for kindly sharing with the CBI's China team.

Download China Lifestyle Newsletter Nov 21

 

Everything you wanted to know about IP in China but were too afraid to ask

CBI members in Beijing gathered yesterday to receive the annual IP briefing from a renewed IP network stretching across Beijing and Shanghai. Members also received a briefing from the visiting Deputy Director for International Policy from the Intellectual Policy Office (IPO), outlining how the IPO was adapting its strategy to handle the imminent changes in IP protection companies will face as a result of the UK leaving the European Union, as well as where the IPO sees opportunity to work with China on improving its own domestic IP strategy.

Speaking on the subject of IP protection in China, the following issues were identified as the main IP concerns for British business in China:

• Age and pace of Chinese system – China’s IP system has developed incredibly fast, with the first piece of IP law having been introduced in 1983. As a result, the Chinese government is both under pressure and very ambitious when it comes to introducing IP reforms. That presents a challenge for foreign businesses when it comes to keeping up with changes to China’s IP system and the reasoning behind those changes.
• Chinese IP system has been designed with Chinese companies in mind. Currently, only 1% of IP-related Chinese civil court cases involve foreign parties, while 85% of TM applications are made by Chinese companies
• That means that the Chinese IP system is under growing pressure to mature and cater to foreign companies as China ‘goes global.’ Members were then invited to provide inputs on technical IP issues, such as bad faith trademarks, patent law, e-commerce and copyright law. While discussing these specific areas in detail, several key trends emerged:

• The Chinese government is very good at introducing reforms and new regulations to clamp down on IP infringement. Where it is not so good however, is implementing these laws and punishing companies found to be infringing on another’s intellectual property
• The existing methods for punishing companies found to be infringing on another’s intellectual property are insufficiently punitive.
• Chinese companies are highly adept at finding ways around new and existing regulation, and see doing so as a way of guaranteeing a competitive edge over rivals.
• Existing legislation lacks the maturity to cater to foreign companies, who are used to dealing with systems of greater sophistication. This presents itself as a market access barrier as it makes it difficult to invest in collaboration with Chinese partners with the confidence that any transferred technology will be sufficiently protected in China.

 

For more information regarding IP and introductions to the UK Embassy's IP team please contact the CBI's Beijing office:

E: [email protected] Tel: 010 85253100

Thank You.

 

WPP acquires full ownership of agencies in South East Asia, Taiwan and Japan

CBI member WPP has acquired full ownership of Y&R and Wunderman joint venture agency assets across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, and Dentsu Sudler & Hennessey in Japan, following a share swap transaction with Dentsu Inc.

Southeast Asia is home to many of the world's most dynamic economies. This transaction marks WPP's continued commitment to expanding in key growth markets and supporting clients through a strong pan-Asian network offering.

The transaction includes Y&R in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; Wunderman in Taiwan and Thailand; and Dentsu Sudler & Hennessey (to be rebranded as Sudler) in Japan.

Collectively WPP companies across Asia Pacific generate revenues of almost US$4.8 billion including associates and employ more than 53,000 people.

Please read more here.

CBI Sterling Assets Report on China Roadshow

 

  

The inaugural Sterling Assets Report has been on a pan-China Roadshow since its launch on Thursday 02 November in Beijing.

The objective of the Roadshow was to circulate the Report's key findings to the diverse and dynamic UK business network in China and encourage policymakers and local officials to use the Report to promote greater UK-China business investment. 

Additionally the Report was received by business stakeholders the CBBC, British Chambers, Department of International Trade (DIT) and a visiting delegation of the All Party Parliamentary China Group in Guangzhou.

China Direct would like to sincerely thank HM Consuls Cecile Elbeleidi in Chongqing, HM Consul Karen Maddocks in Guangzhou, HM Consul John Edwards in Shanghai and HM Consul Nick Whittingham in Wuhan for their support.

 

    

Please note that China Direct will have the Chinese language version of the Report available for review and download by mid-November.

Kindly find the original Report and Executive Summary attached below for your reference.

Download CBI China Sterling Assets Report

Download Sterling Assets China Executive Summary

Thank you. 

  

BBC Worldwide announces new China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast deal

 

CBI member BBC Worldwide announced a deal with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that will bring highly rated CBeebies series Go Jetters to over 1.1 billion viewers in China.

Fully dubbed and subtitled in Chinese, the 50-episode series will premiere at the end of May on CCTV-14 – the children’s channel that is part of China Central Television (CCTV). CCTV is the predominant state television in the People’s Republic of China with over 50 different channels catering to a wide audience both locally and abroad.

The national broadcaster has the world's largest audience of over 1.1 billion people, nearly 90% of China's population. CCTV 14 is the state broadcaster’s dedicated children’s channel.

Please read more here.

Popular British brands embracing WeChat - China's most popular social media platform

Popular brands, including CBI members Burberry, Mulberry, British Airways and Durex, are among British companies successfully using instant messaging application WeChat in the Chinese market.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry's chief creative officer, said: "WeChat opens up a huge new world of opportunity in the digital space. The exciting thing for us is the deeper and more meaningful way that we are able to tell our stories using this platform."

Burberry lets users view London Fashion Week catwalk shows on the app, listen to translated interviews with executives, and snap up digital vouchers and promotions. British companies know they can reach Chinese consumers through social media."

In 2016, WeChat had 768 million daily logged-in users, and 60 percent of Chinese shoppers searched Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, for brand information.

Plesae read more here.

Nottingham University trains Chinese Film Industry

 

A pilot programme has been launched by CBI member the University of Nottingham to help Chinese universities improve the quality of the training they provide to film industry students.

The University of Nottingham hosted a group of 27 screen industry academics from 23 universities across China, who came to the UK to find out how the University trains graduates and prepares them for careers the screen industry. China’s film industry is expanding rapidly.

In 2015, the Chinese spent more than $6.5 billion on movie tickets, an increase of almost 50% on the previous year. Around 20 new cinema screens are opening every day in China to meet demand, and last year, profit from film production climbed 76% to 868 million yuan.

Please read more here.

CBI Creative Industries Report - All the World's a Stage

 

The UK’s creative industries are world leaders, and with developments in infrastructure and digital technology helping drive up consumer demand in markets ranging from China to the United States, exports are growing.

Our latest report, All the World’s a Stage, examines some of the sector’s successes and what steps government and business should take to sustain them.

Shakespeare Lives - Ian Mckellen brings Shakespeare-mania to China

China Direct is delighted to share with its members and partners the latest news of the British Council's Shakespeare Lives Programme.

Our thanks to Meera Saujani, Director of Marketing & Communications, for sharing her insights into Sir Ian McKellen's recent visit to China.

Please click here for a full summary.

European Chamber releases 2016 China Business Confidence Survey

The European Chamber, in cooperation with Roland Berger, today released its annual Business Confidence Survey 2016. The survey finds that Beijing’s failure so far to deliver on promises that foreign-invested enterprises will enjoy a more open, competitive market has fostered mounting pessimism: a significant 41% of European companies are now re-evaluating their China operations and planning to cut costs, including through headcount reduction.

Although 47% also report that they plan to expand their operations in China, this represents a thirty-nine point decrease from 2013, when an overwhelming 86% of European companies were intending to do so. However, a clear majority of European business would likely increase their investment in China in the event of market access barriers being removed.

Please read the full press release here. The full download can be accessed here.