On May 17, 2019, the American Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual APAC Business Summit. At the Summit industry leaders, policy experts, ambassadors and top government officials from across 22 economies spoke about the challenges of investing and conducting business in a rapidly changing economy. 

The event covered a number of topics including US-China Investment Cooperation's, Interpretation of China's New Foreign Investment Law, Improvement in IP Protection within the New Foreign Investment Law, Opportunities for Multinational Corporations in the Greater Bay Area, Growth of the Service Industry, the Future of Education, Young Entrepreneurs and more.

Distinguished guests included the Honorable Charles Freeman, former Assistant US Trade Representative for China Affairs, the Honorable Neil Bush, Chairman of President George H.W. Bush China-US Relations Foundation, and Dr. Du Qirui, Deputy Director, Institute of Overseas Investment and Economic Cooperation, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of Foreign Investment Institute, Ministry of Commerce PRC.

Following the keynote addresses by several distinguished guests including Tom Loeffler, Former US Congressman from Texas, David C. Buxbaum, Senior Partner of Anderson & Anderson LLP, hosted one of the panels, where Dr. Dave Hon, CEO of Dahon Technologies, spoke eloquently about problems of protecting intellectual property while manufacturing in China. Sam Ho, Managing Director of International Federation Against Copyright Theft (Greater China) Limited, delivered a speech regarding the improvements in IP Protection within the New Foreign Investment Law.

Mr. Buxbaum also spoke briefly stating that in the early 1800's English law was severely criticized for its indiscriminant harsh punishments for even minor offenses, for lack of relationship between the severity of the crime and punishment and for lack of rational order. When Staunton published a translation of an important portion of the Daqing Luli, the Qing Code it came as a revelation to many people, some of whom realized that Chinese law and procedure at that time, particularly for criminal matters, was far more rational than the English common law. Nevertheless, the English wrongfully foisted their own laws on China as a result of the Opium War, via extraterritoriality. The situation today is completely different than the mid-19th century. While Chinese law and legal institutions have improved dramatically since 1976, considering the great development in China over the last 45 years, the legal institutions still lag behind and the need to upgrade the courts, judicial system and parts of the law to meet the needs of Chinese society and foreigner's using the Chinese legal system, it is urgent and important.

(Photo credit: AmCham South China)