How do I locate the Chinese import tariff
applied to a particular product?
What method of payment is recommended
for exports to China?
What are some of the "warning" signs of a Chinese
scam?
Where can I find trade statistics?
Where can I find information on the business visa process
for visitors who wish to come to the U.S.?
How can I identify a prospective Chinese
buyer or sales agent?
How can I check the background of
a Chinese company?
How can I identify the best trade
shows?
How can I determine the best export prospects
for China?
How can the U.S. Government help me
compete for major projects?
How can I find business service providers?
How do I protect my company's
intellectual property rights?
How can the U.S. Government help my
company resolve a commercial dispute?
How do I set up a representative office?
Where can I find information on evaluating locations to
set up an office
or manufacturing facility?
How can the U.S. Department of Commerce
help a Chinese citizen obtain a visa to visit the U.S. for
business purposes?
How do I apply for a visa to visit
China for business purposes?
How can I get U.S. government assistance
in resolving trade barriers or unfair trade practices I've
encountered in China?
How can I participate in an antidumping investigation initiated by a Chinese company in China?
Q: How do I locate the import tariff
applied to a particular product?
The U.S. government provides a database that U.S. exporters
may use to identify import
tariffs applied by nearly 50 countries. China's tariff
rates may also be found on the Department of Commerce's
Market
Access and Compliance Tariff Schedule.
Q: What method of payment is recommended
for exports to China?
The most secure method of payment is letter of credit confirmed
by a U.S. bank.
Although the Bank of China dominates China's trade-finance
business, most Chinese commercial banks have the authority
to issue letters of credit for imports. These include China
Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,
Agricultural Bank of China and CITIC Industrial Bank. Foreign
banks with branch or representative offices in China can
also issue letters of credit. Other common forms of payment
are less secure. Learn
more about methods of payment used in international
commercial transactions.
Q: Where are some of the "warning"
signs of a Chinese scam?
Click here
for a list of seven warning signs of a Chinese scam. The
existence of one or more of these items does not an necessarily
indicate that a scam in fact exists. However, if you are
confronted by one of these items, please contact your local
trade specialist before proceeding further. Lastly,
the following article lays out some common sense steps to
take to protect yourself from a potential scam: Exporter
Alert: Suspicious Chinese Business Practices.
Q: Where can I find trade
statistics?
The U.S. Commerce Department provides a trade
statistics database that may be searched by industry
sector or country of destination. The United
Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database and the
USITC Internative Tariff
and Trade Database are also very useful tools in searchng
for trade statistics. The National Bureau of Statistics
of China is the authoritative source of trade statistics
collected by the Chinese Government. Click here
to go to the Chinese language website.
Q: Where can I find information
on the business visa process for visitors who wish to come
to the U.S.?
Please contact the State Department's Business
Visa Center at (202) 663-3198.
Q: How can I identify a prospective
Chinese buyer or sales agent?
The U.S. Commercial Service provides a service that can
help new to market companies identify a prospective Chinese
buyer or sales agent. Learn more about the International
Partner Search service.
Q: How can I check the background
of a Chinese company?
Undertaking a due diligence investigation prior to engaging
in a trade transaction can minimize risk of encountering
commercial disputes. The U.S. Commercial Service provides
a service to conduct a preliminary background check. Learn
more about the International
Company Profile service. The U.S. Commercial Service
can also refer your company to other service providers in
China.
Q: How can I identify the best
trade shows in China?
Each year hundreds of trade shows are held throughout China.
Visit http://www.buyusa.gov/china/en/tradeshows.html
to identify trade shows that are supported by the U.S. Department
of Commerce in China, or view
other trade shows featured at the bottom of our industry
sector overviews.
Q: How can I determine the best export
prospects for China?
The U.S. Commercial Service identifies best U.S. export
prospects on an annual basis. Visit the China BIC's Industry
Information Page to review reports on the leading industrial
sectors. The page also allows the exporter to search the
U.S. Commercial Service's market research library, identify
trade leads, and highlights events. Companies interested
in identifying best prospects for agricultural exports may
also use this page to reach best prospects identified by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. exporter may
also review Chapter 4 (i.e., Leading Sectors for U.S. Export
and Investment) of the 2007
Country Commercial Guide for China.
Q: How can the U.S. government help
my company compete for major projects in China?
Your firm can reap the most benefit from contact with the
U.S. Department of Commerce's Advocacy
Center at the earliest stages of a project. Early expressions
of interest by an overseas government ministry or agency,
followed by your company's expressions of interest, often
help shape the tender specifications and can improve your
chances of winning a tender. When your efforts are combined
with U.S. Government advocacy, the prospects of winning
improve even more! Learn more about the Advocacy
Center can help your company level the playing field.
Q: How can I find business service providers
in China?
China's system for regulation of foreign commercial activity
is difficult to navigate and non-transparent. Companies
new to market are strongly encouraged to retain professional
services to structure commercial transactions. U.S. exporters
may locate an extensive list of American business service
providers in China by referring to the back section of Contact
China a useful guide to exploring export opportunities
in China. The guide is published each year by the U.S. Department
of Commerce's U.S. Commercial Service. Locate other Western
and Chinese service providers.
Q: How do I protect my company's
intellectual property rights in China?
In spite of progress towards improving its intellectual
property legal and regulatory regime, China continues to
be a challenging environment for IPR protection and enforcement.
To learn more about how your company can protect its intellectual
property in China, visit our China IPR Resources page: http://www.stopfakes.gov/pdf/ChinaIPR_flyer.pdf.
Q: How can the U.S. Government help
me resolve a commercial dispute?
The role of the U.S. government in resolving commercial
disputes is to assist companies navigate the Chinese legal
system, provide a list of local attorneys, and share basic
information on potentially applicable trade agreements and
Chinese business practices. The U.S. government is not authorized
to provide legal advice. American companies that have disputes
with private Chinese firms often request U.S. Government
intervention with Chinese authorities on their behalf. Such
intervention is rarely appropriate unless the company has
exhausted all remedies under China's legal system. Learn
more about resolving
commercial disputes in China.
Q: How do I set up a representative
office in China?
Establishment of a representative office has become the
most common means of establishing a long-term presence in
China. Chinese law restricts the scope of activity undertaken
by such offices to "indirect business activity."
A representative office may act as a liaison with Chinese
contacts, implement contracts signed outside China by the
home office, and undertake market research. Such offices
may not engage in trade, receive fees for service, sign
contracts or directly generate income. Click here
to learn more about setting up a representative office in
China. Identify
a Commercial Service office in China to learn about
the registration process.
Q: Where can I find
information on evaluating locations to set up an office
or manufacturing facility?
Development zones in
Eastern China are a first consideration for many US businesses.
These zones focus on different industries, often have preferential
tax policies, solid infrastructure and various services
geered toward foreign firms. Many business
service providers, both Western and Chinese, provide
detailed site analysis assistance.
Q: How can the U.S. Commerce
Department help a Chinese citizen obtain a visa to visit
the U.S. for business purposes?
The Commerce Department has no official role in the visa
application process. Commercial officers do not have authority
to re-schedule visa appointments, provide letters of referral,
pass documents to the Consular Section, expedite visa application
review, or inquire about the basis of visa referral. Check
here for guidance provided by the State Department on the
visa
application process.
Please note that a Business
Visa Center is now available to assist Ameican businesses
in understanding the visa process when they invite employees
or current and prospective business clients and partners
to the United States.
Q: How do I apply for a visa
to visit China for business purposes?
View guidance provided by the Chinese government on its
visa
application process.
Q: How can I get U.S. government assistance
in resolving trade barriers or unfair trade practices I've
encountered in China?
The Trade Compliance
Center is the U.S. Government's focal point for monitoring
foreign compliance with trade agreements to see that U.S.
firms and workers get the maximum benefits from these agreements.
The TCC is your one-stop shop for getting U.S. government
assistance in resolving the trade barriers or unfair trade
practices you encounter in foreign markets. You may report
a foreign trade barrier directly on-line by using the Trade
Complaint Hotline
How can I participate in an antidumping investigation initiated by a Chinese company in China?
Click here
for a current list of Chinese antidumping and countervailing
duty cases involving US-origin products. Typically, a party
has twenty days from the date of MOFCOM's notice of initiation
to register separately with both BOFT and IBII to participate
in the investigation. Registration forms are normally available
on MOFCOM's website, but must be submitted by a PRC lawyer
or law firm. After registration, a company will be able
to participate in the investigation by answering questionnaires,
providing legal arguments, appearing at hearings, and so
forth. If a producer or exporter of the subject merchandise
does not register, it may be precluded from participating
in the investigation and is likely to receive an adverse
outcome. The Trade Facilitation Office at the U.S. Embassy
in Beijing is staffed with Import Administration professionals
that can answer more questions.
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