CHINA IN TOUCH A fortnightly newsletter since 2007 for Northern Territory branch members Northern Territory Branch March 25, 2015 Issue 148 NT secretariat (08) 89270061 NT President’s observations Its official, 7% GDP growth for China in 2015. The Shanghai Index barely moved in response to this announcement. The announcement was enough to shake Western markets, particularly Australia and it makes you wonder if they really understand what is happening in China. The announcement was no surprise – and that seems to sum up reactions to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference ( CPPCC). The lack of robust Western-style parliamentary debate makes it easy to dismiss the CPPCC as a rubber stamp and in doing so miss a number of quite significant notifications. One of the most important is the progress being made on financial reform. The outstanding success of the cross-connect trading program between Hong Kong and Shanghai has shown that the capital account can be safely opened up. This has encouraged more private financial institutions and allowed more foreign participation in capital markets. The announcement of several more free trade zones is not just a leap onto a bandwagon. Key to the free trade zones is the development of a negative list of investments. Only investments on the negative list are banned, or require prior government approval. Any proposal not on the list can proceed. This is designed to attract more foreign investment and to encourage internal investment innovation. This is a total change in philosophy and confirms the continuation of the moves towards an economy where the market is allocating resources. The impact of these policies is often underestimated but they are delivering structural economic reform. The non-state private sector is growing rapidly. The number of private enterprises increased by 45% in the past year. More jobs were created by the private sector than in the stateowned sector. The idea of a bloated state owned enterprises sector sucking up labour in a nonproductive fashion has been untrue for more than a decade but old myths have a tendency to persist. It continue to be a slow process to wean the Chinese economy from dependency on exports and to grow domestic demand. ( A process that is also demanding attention in Australia which also has an economy very dependent upon exports) For the first time domestic consumption accounted for more than half of China GDP growth. This came in at 51.2% and is well up on the 40% level of just a few years ago. Chinas economy is increasingly built around domestic consumption and services. This offers new opportunities for Western companies with operational expertise in these areas. The services sector accounts for 48% of GDP, up from 46% in 2013 when services for the first time became the largest GDP sector. It is estimated that services will account for more than half of China GDP in 2016. This growth is perhaps the most telling feature of the reorientation of the Chinese economy. Its significant from an investment perspective. Previously investors could ride the rise in the Chinese economy by investing in resources companies that provided iron ore and other commodities. They could invest in companies that were essential links in the China export logistics chain. Some of these investments will continue to be profitable but new opportunities are arising with the development of the Chinese economy. Investors will look at companies with services expertise who are expanding operations into China. The Stock Connect program, soon to include Shenzhen stocks, gives investors a direct route to domestic Chinese companies that are rapidly filling the demand for services. This includes the accelerated growth in the e-commerce sector. As discussed in the recent ACBC workshop with Lisa Goodhand, this provides opportunities for NT businesses to meet e-commerce demand with premium products supplied direct to Chinese e-commerce customers. Daryl Guppy, President, NT Branch – Newsletter editor UNDERSTANDING QUALITY JADE - WATER Everywhere in China you can find Jade. They sell it in street corners, in subway stations, in supermarkets, and in jewellery stores. Some Jade costs as little as 1 yuan and some as much as 100k+ yuan. Whether it’s black, blue, green, yellow or white, Jade is very shiny and alluring, though it’s often a mystery to foreigners and Chinese people alike. So how do you buy Jade without being cheated? I know it can be confusing so here is a brief introduction to “the king of Jade” that is Feicuì. This is the second of a three part article. We start with colour, then look at the base of the stone or water, and finally at what we incorrectly call fake jade. Color needs a good base to be displayed properly; the base or the water kind is divided into the following categories: 1. Glass “boli”: The texture is as bright and clear as glass. It also appears as hard like glass. If you take a piece of Glass type Feicui to the page of a book, you will be able to read the words underneath. 2. Ice “bing”: This jade is clear but with a fine mist inside, like that of a piece of ice. It does not have the clarity or brilliance of Glass jade. If you take a piece of Ice jade to the page of a book, you will be able to see words underneath but not clear enough to distinguish them. 3.Glutinous rice “nuo hua”: This is transparent and yet opaque, it gives a feeling of dense sticky rice cakes or pulled fluffy cotton. This white stuff does not make up more than 20% of the stone composition. 3. Moss-in-Snow “bai di qing”: This jade has green floating on a white surface like green clouds on a white sky, or like green moss strewn on powdery white snow. 4. Cyanine “hua qing”: This jade is blue-green,the base color appears green but it is not distributed evenly. The texture is slightly coarse, and some Cyanine jade are completely opaque while others are completely transparent. 5. Lotus root starch “ou fen”: This jade appears luminous but it is actually rather dark, it appears transparent but it is rather opaque. It looks like a cloudy murky mess of 80% lotus root powder frozen in 20% water. 6. Rice water “mi tang”: This kind has many impurities; it is essentially not transparent. It is similar to the white murky liquid leftover when you put too much water in your steamed rice or make rice porridge. 7. White base “bai di” : This kind is not transparent; it has a lot what looks like cotton inside. It is white with other colors and has very poor water. 8. Dry base “gan di” : This kind has no water and very coarse texture. The color and water have a mutual relationship, if there is both good color and good water then the value is immensely greater than if just one is good. For example, Dense green, Imperial, and Vivid green Feicui are all expensive on their own, but they all go up in price by tens or hundreds of thousands when they are the Glass variety. Equally, if the jade has beautiful color but is composed of a coarse texture, or has a delicate texture but poor color, the value is very low. There is Feicui that is worth hundreds to millions, and there is Feicui with poor color and poor texture that is not even worth 100 rmb. At the same time, limited availability of raw materials means that small pieces of Feicui are easier to come across, while larger stones are harder to obtain. When looking at two pieces of Jade with the same water and color, then the size will greatly influence the price. Moreover; the set, cut, finish, region, etc. will also influence the value of the jade. Compiled by Daryl Guppy from multiple sources including LostLaowei. MEET THE CHIEF MINISTER ACBC NT members attended the Sunday Business Forum with the NT Government. Thirty five local Territory business owners and managers gathered to tell Chief Minister Adam Giles and five of his Ministerial colleagues plus an MLA, exactly what they thought about how the local business environment is going. Chief Minister Adam Giles, Deputy Chief Minister Willem Westra van Holthe, Treasurer, Dave Tollner, and Ministers John Elferink, Gary Higgins, Nathan Barnett and support staff attended the forum. The event was well attended by business and community leaders of ACBC NT. The government representatives moved around each table to talk to as many people as possible Firstly, on our table we had Treasurer Dave Tollner discussing the resources and the major project Inpex being well on the way. The focus is on attracting future LNG companies into the Territory to assist with the economy. Next we had Chief Minister Adam Giles. The discussion centred around tourism, apartments over supply, future plans for the Territory. Tourism accommodation is currently in short supply due to the LNG projects taking up much of the hotel space in Darwin. Darwin however, only attracts a small percentage of tourism when benchmarked against the rest of the country. The focus is to choose a sister city in People’s Republic of China and marketing the Territory as a holiday destination. Not only did they talk about the current environment but they shared ideas and visions for how the Northern Territory Government can improve conditions and legislation to help businesses grow both in the Territory and in global markets. The forum was well attended and also provided a great way to meet and discuss how to work together with the NT Government. Issues about Red Tape; grants for business development; visa options; land release program; tourism opportunities; Export /Import and many other items were explored during the two hour forum which concluded with the opportunity to go one-on-one with a Government Minister. More of this type of events for ACBC members is a definite plus. From Myriam Giovanazzi TOURIST REFUND SCHEME CHANGE: BENEFITS TO CHINESE TOURISM BOOM IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY In this edition of the NT newsletter, we would like to bring to attention a national proposal that the ACBC believes is of vital interest to our members in the Northern Territory. The Tourism Shopping Reform Group (TSRG) is a national coalition of tourism and retail industry associations and business who support the enhancement of Australia’s Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) in Australia. As you may be aware, the TRS enables departing international travellers to claim back their GST (and wine tax) for eligible purchases over $300 from a single retailer. Currently, Australia is one of only three known countries with a taxpayer-funded and operated TRS, which is costly and inefficient. As a result of this, Australia lags behind its regional competitor destinations, where the TRS is operated by private refund providers. If utilised correctly, the TRS can encourage international travellers to spend more whilst in the Territory. As a major tourism destination, the Northern Territory is therefore well-placed to reap immediate benefits from reforms to the TRS. A full change in Australia to private providers will help maximise the benefits from tourist shopping for the national economy, and will drive international tourist shopping and consumption by an estimated $226 million per annum Australia-wide, and will increase local product development and employment. The Northern Territory’s international tourist spending itself is estimated to increase by $4.61 million. Tourism is one of the major industries of the Northern Territory, with Chinese visitors an important source of growth. Unique tourist destinations including Uluru and Kakadu, its Aboriginal culture, its diverse landscapes and wildlife, and of course iconic Northern Territory products – such as its pearls, distinctive leather goods and indigenous artwork – are all just some of the things that attract high spending international visitors. With the Chinese visitor number forecast to grow to an estimated 1.4 million by 2022 nationally, this reform is a worthwhile investment that will benefit Sino-Australian trade relations as well as business at home. There is a small cost to the Territory budget, but to ensure that the Territory economy, and our local companies are all able to benefit from this small but necessary change, we encourage ACBC members to make individual submissions to local Territory MPs and Senators to urge their support for the proposed changes to the TRS. From Patrick Colmer CURRENT CHINA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT There is a contradictory view in many Western media that the anti-corruption campaign and the reform process is hampering growth in China. Some suggest it's an important reason for the reduction in GDP growth targets. Others in the some Western media suggest that the anti-corruption campaign and the reform process are moving so slowly that they are really a sham. A Chinese meal has many dishes on the table at the one time so a diversity of views about the Chinese economy and policy is not unexpected. But just as the cold dish appetiser are not the main meal then these polarized extremes views around the reform process might not accurately reflect the overall picture. Working in Beijing in the past week revealed very different views. There is a concern about the pace of reform. People would like reform to move more quickly because it is adding an important boost to business and industry. Faster reform means faster growth. The business registration process is faster and creates an environment where business can operate more efficiently. Stronger anticorruption campaign make it easier to do genuine business based on real revenue projections unhindered by the need to meet extra costs.. One of the reasons I went to Beijing was to speak at a financial conference. The conference was built around discussion of emerging opportunities that are direct result of the reform process. Movement in opening the capital account and facilitating investment flows are slow. We would all like these reforms to be faster but the general opinion was that this was already creating substantial expanded and new business opportunities. Chinese and Western interests were keen to see how these could be developed in areas that were almost unthinkable 12 months ago. In the background of these discussions was an immense sigh of relief that the labyrinth of regulation, of permissions and the unspoken potential for corrupt practices were being simplified. Subsequent meetings around other areas of business and meals with friends reinforced the impression created at the conference. These were discussions about Chinese business in China and about Chinese projects for delivery overseas. Growth and business opportunities were expanding as a direct result of the reform process and the anti-corruption campaigns. Some of the petty official corruption was disappearing. It is faster and easier to get approvals without the need for multiple lunches and gifts. There is a feeling that many things were now possible that had been previously much more difficult. Optimism had replaced the concerns of early 2014 when business appeared to be slowing as the old ways of doing business were under attack. After completing CCTV interviews I talked with business news anchors Cheng Lei and Martina Fuchs. They are in constant contact with senior business people and officials. Their comments and impressions confirmed what I had observed elsewhere. These are not half-hearted or cosmetic reform processes. They are having a genuine and positive impact. We don’t want to paint a rosy propaganda picture that obscures reality. However the reaction on the ground in Beijing across a variety of industry sectors and levels was much more optimistic than some Western media would suggest. Reform is real, progress is steady and opportunities are expanding. These factors should be taken into consideration when working with investment and business opportunities in China. From Daryl Guppy PROPOSED FOREIGN INVESTMENT FEES Several weeks ago the Prime Minister made an announcement about increased fees applying to foreign investment in property. The Australian Government sought views on proposed reforms to strengthen Australia's foreign investment framework, particularly around residential real estate and agriculture. The proposed reforms include: increasing compliance and enforcement activities around foreign investment in residential real estate through the creation of a specialized investigative and enforcement area within the Australian Taxation Office; and introducing new civil penalties and increased criminal penalties for foreign investors and third parties who breach the foreign investment rules. This is administered by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) Consideration is being given to the introduction of an application fee on all foreign investment proposals, based on the type of investment. The Government also intends to introduce a new $55 million screening threshold for foreign investment in Australian agribusiness, subject to public consultation on the definition of agribusiness. ACBC members were asked to provide feedback so that a national submission could be made by the ACBC. In addition to this information there have also been discussion with the investment clients who will be impacted by these proposed changes. Common themes emerge from client discussions. 1) Singapore and China investors see this as new evidence of behind the border trade barriers. It makes Australia less attractive as an investment destination despite Australian dollar weakness. Australia is perceived as a major offender in behind the border barriers and this reinforces this perception. This behind the border barriers go against the free trade push within the region. 2) Many Chinese contacts see this as further evidence of direct discrimination against Chinese investors. They know that the same restrictions do not apply to US investors. Is it a deal-breaker? For some projects it is and money will go to other locations. For others it means that projects will be bargained more heavily to the disadvantage of Australians in an attempt to defray the cost. 3) For Chinese investors this has reignited concerns about the opaque nature of the FIRB process which is regarded with a great deal of suspicion. This hampers investment intentions at a time when a new wave of investment in agriculture is developing. Some point to the way China is moving towards clarity in approvals processes when Australia is moving towards more obscurity in approvals processes. 4) This reinforces the growing sense of sovereign risk in relation to Australia. Its seen as a stable and safe country, but the sudden changes in policy, or policy enforcement, are seen as a sovereign risk factor. This concern peaked in 2009 around the Rio takeover process and had subsided. The recent announcements have raised this issue again. 5) It appears that a $5000 application fee will be required for every bid. If the investor intends to bid at three auctions, even on the same day, then a separate non-refundable application fee of $5000 is required. It is not possible to politely report the disgust at which this aspect of the proposed changes was greeted by Chinese investors that I spoke with in Beijing. From Daryl Guppy ACBC NT OBJECTIVES We aim for these services for ACBC NT members: To assist members to understand the nature of the business environment in China and where relevant opportunities lie. To raise the profile of ACBC NT members within the NT and Chinese business environment To share information regarding industry issues in the China market. To assist in generating business between member businesses. To facilitate co-operation with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in relation to business issues. To present the views of NT SMEs operating in China to government authorities and other business groups where appropriate. To share market and economic intelligence and insights on critical industry issues. To create and maintain a collaborative community of business owners that can draw on each other for support in their engagement with China. To work in a collaborative community of Chinese business, cultural and friendship organisations to expand the networking capacity of NT members. These objectives are achieved with networking events, workshops, conferences, briefing, newsletter communication and participation in creation of NT and national Government strategies. MEET YOUR NEW ACBC NT EXECUTIVE MEMBERS Karen Green – Vice President Karen has over 26 years’ experience in Chartered Accountancy, predominantly in taxation and business advisory services. Karen has a strong team based approach to the provision of client service. She is focused in providing high quality services with the support of appropriately skilled and competent staff. Professional and academic qualifications Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia Member, Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants Member, Taxation Institute of Australia Member of the Top End Regional Executive Committee Member of Territory Taxation Administration Liaison Committee Professional experience Based in the Darwin office, Karen established the Timor-Leste taxation team and has been involved in the provision of Timor-Leste taxation services to her clients since 2001. She is responsible for providing advice to a number of international organisations operating in Timor-Leste, its territorial waters and the JPDA. During her time in professional accounting Karen has had responsibility for providing accounting and taxation advice to a diverse range of private business and corporate clients involved in the building and construction sector. Karen understands the specific needs of her clients in this sector and has built up a large portfolio of building and construction sector clients. Karen enjoys assisting her clients to understand and comply with their taxation obligations in a practical manner, setting up systems to minimise compliance costs and streamline activities in recording and reporting information for these taxes. Karen also acts as an advisory board member on a number of emerging companies and government owned corporations, advising on strategic issues including financial strategies, business plan preparation, operations and profitability improvement. Karen leads the Darwin Taxation Advisory Group, providing advice on a variety of taxes including GST, FBT, payroll tax and income tax including capital gains tax from both a compliance and consulting perspective. Karen has significant experience in providing advice and assistance to the Northern Territory Government. Such experience includes being a current board member of the Darwin Port Corporation, assisting with review of the application of the Tax Equivalents Regime for Power Water Corporation, providing taxation assistance to the Office of the Public Trustee which includes managing their taxation compliance program and preparation of GST private rulings for the Department of Housing. Karen has also provided tax assistance in relation to public private partnerships and restructuring of operations including GST advice in relation to the Waterfront development. Accor Hotels ACBC MEMBERS DEALS Member companies of the Australia China Business Council can take advantage of up to 10% off the best unrestricted rate of the day at over 1800 Accor hotels worldwide in more than 90 countries. Benefit from multi brand availability at Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, all seasons, and Barriere hotels and optimise your hotel spend. This special offer is redeemable through your ACBC branch office. ACBC NT WELCOMES NEW AND CONTINUING MEMBERS Westpac Bank (NT) Suzi Hullick, SGM Commercial Banking SA/NT Be amongst the first to have your member business profile included in the newsletter. Send details to acbcnt@acbc.com.au NT ACBC Branch Meeting Dates – Meetings are open to all members of the ACBC, not just the committee members. Most matters discussed at the meeting are passed by general agreement. All members are encouraged to contribute ideas to the discussions. ] Current proposed meeting dates are: April 23, Thursday 12:10 to 1 .00pm (Note change of date) May 28, Thursday 12:10 to 1 .00pm 2014-2015 NT ACBC Executive Daryl Guppy - Guppytraders.com (President / National Board Member) china@guppytraders.com Xian Li – Department of Mines and Energy lixian0914@gmail.com (Vice President) Karen Green - Partner Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu kgreen@deloitte.com.au (Vice President) Myriam Giovanazzi – Colliers Myriam.Giovanazzi@colliers.com (Treasurer) Committee members Jane Wang – Dept of Resources Jane.Wang@nt.gov.au Rachel Telford - Dept of Tourism - Rachel.Telford@nt.gov.au Ex-Officio members Wayne Fan – Department of Chief Minister Lorenzo Strano - Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade Bernadette Eggington - Austrade Lisa O'Donoghue – SCHEDULE OF NT BRANCH CHINA BUSINESS BRIEFINGS 2015 The Business Briefings will continue in 2015 and be provided free of charge for members only. Visitors are welcome to attend, but a small $20 fee is payable. (Free if you join ACBC at the briefing) . Briefings run for about 60 minutes. Business Briefing sponsorship options are also available. Proposed briefing events include: China Australia Free Trade Agreement and the NT Importing/exporting Translation tips Negotiation and deal structuring in China for Australian companies. For more information, or requests for specific briefing topics, please contact ACBC Secretariat on 89270061 or acbcnt@acbc.com.au GOT A CHINA STORY TO TELL? - SEND US YOUR NEWS You are a valued member of the Australia China Business Council and we are keen to receive news on your business activities that we can published on our national website or in our NT newsletters. Do you have an amusing, or interesting or cautionary tale. Drop us a note for the newsletter. It doesn’t have to be long. Just a paragraph or two is ok. The newsletter is designed to link with NT members so share the experience and help others to understand this China challenge. Send your notes to acbcnt@acbc.com.au China News reports that did not make it into the local media. Mergers planned for state-owned enterprises in strategic industries Beijing is planning to consolidate China's state-owned sector in strategically important industries including energy, resources and telecommunications, with merged entities to be reorganized as asset-investment firms required to run more like commercial operations than government branches, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed government officials and advisers. The new plan will put upper management under orders to maximize returns with the goal of making the biggest state companies profitable enough to go public by 2025, the sources said, though the government will retain its current practice of naming senior management teams for the newly formed companies. For more China business news and information, visit www.chinaeconomicreview.com AUSTRALIA CHINA FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY The Darwin branch of the ACFS is a co-operative partner with ACBC NT. ACBC NT members are encouraged to attend ACFS events. ACFS has completed their first News Letter, a website and facebook. The web address is: www.acfsnt.org.au The facebook address is https:\\www.facebook.com/acfs.nt CHINESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION SERVICE RCG Events - design and translation services This team will develop, design, translate and publish your material for distribution in China. They work with Beijing based translators to ensure the highest quality translations. This RCG Events team prepared all the material for the 2013 ACBC NT Beijing conference. They designed and produced the Beijing Conference report. RCG Events have staff in Darwin and Singapore. Please contact Crystal crystalbelle@red-cliff.co for further details. Amy Yu – interpreter and translation services Amy has 21 years experience as an English teacher in College of Foreign Languages of Fujian Normal University. During 2006 2007, Amy had taught Chinese at Department of Modern Languages at Northern Arizona University, U. S. Amy is now working as a Chinese lecturer at School of Creative Arts and Humanity at Charles Darwin University. Amy can provide interpreting services for delegations events, meetings, conferences and also provide translating services on documents or any related works. Amy.Yu@cdu.edu.au 0451 817 988 Hyman East Translation 东方海门翻译公司 – Beijing Web hymaneast@vip.163.com They provide translation services for written material. They also provide translators and interpreters. Guppytraders uses them for translation of weekly financial market columns and translation at speaking engagements and workshops throughout China. China Translation and Publishing Corporation – Beijing, Shanghai Phone - 86 10 68005858 / 68002858 / 68001820 Web www.ctpc.com.cn Able to source interpreters for work in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen area. XIN ‘DAVID’ WANG -DARWIN Mobile: 0403 524 760 Email: wangxin2254@gmail.com NAATI-accredited English-Chinese translator, I can provide you with first class translation service. Translation efficiency and quality assured. If you are looking for a English-Chinese translator, please feel free to contact me. Chinese-English translation services also provided. I work with meetings and conferences and other events where translation is required. FORWARD THE NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME. Keep other members informed about China experiences. Please email notes or comments to china@guppytraders.com. Please use email header ACBC NOTE. Information received up to the day prior to publication will be included. NOTE. The views of contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ACBC NT or the ACBC. Content is copyright and cannot be used without permission. Northern Territory MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Please complete this Membership Form with your details if you are applying to join the Australia China Business Council for the first time. BASIC DETAILS Company Name Company name in Chinese Industry sector Branch membership Member Type - This is based on the annual turnover (See page 2 for details). Company email address Company web site http:// Date of application PERSONAL DETAILS Title First name Last name Job title Personal email address CONTACT DETAILS Company phone Company fax Direct phone Direct fax Mobile phone LOCATION DETAILS Street address City NT Branch State Northern Territory Post code Postal address Please cross out if you do not want your contact I agree to be included in all associated ACBC and details to be given to third parties who issue appropriate third party event notifications event invitations to ACBC members Country Australia PAYMENT METHOD Cheque Please post to: GPO Box 2769, Darwin NT 0801 Cash Deposit ANZ Darwin, BSB: 015901, A/C: 487 379 699 Credit Card Card type / VISA / Mastercard Card number Name on card Expiry date CCV# Amount paid (See member type) $ PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO ACBC NT GPO BOX 2769, Darwin NT 0801 Or Email: acbcnt@acbc.com.au Membership TOTAL NT Government Departments Companies Annual turnover: More than $ 50 million * $ 15 million to $ 50 million $ 5 million to $ 15 million Less than $ 5 million Individual membership Associate membership ** (non-voting) Student member (non-voting) 770.00 2,310.00 1,210.00 770.00 396.00 396.00 132.00 77.00 * Companies with turnovers greater than $50m are entitled to nominate a representative from each of the other states in which they have a business presence. For additional nominees, please provide contact details on a separate sheet, giving title, given name, surname, postal and street address, telephone and facsimile numbers, and email address. ** Associate members are academics or retired business people
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