Expat women in China being cheated of maternity benefits

While on paper China has some excellent maternity laws protecting expecting mothers from employers who would rather ditch them for a less baby-bearing hire, in practice this is not always the case.Read More

Night out lands Swedish expat teen in Beijing jail

A young Swedish man has a cautionary tale for bar-going expats, and their parents alike. While out with friends in November 2013, a then-18-year-old Noak Jonsson was involved in a scuffle leaving a bar in Beijing’s university district. Words and blows were thrown; and before he knew it, despite claiming he hit no one, Jonsson …Read More

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Expat Canadian couple in Dandong investigated for alleged theft of state secrets

A Canadian couple living on the border with North Korea in Dandong, Liaonong, are being investigated by Chinese authorities for allegedly stealing defense military and defense secrets. Originally from Vancouver, Kevin Garratt and his wife Julia Dawn first arrived in China in 1984 and were teaching English in Southern China before opening a coffee shop, …Read More

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Beijing rolls out criminal check for foreigners seeking employment in city

Beijing-based lawyer Gary Chodorow, on his blog Law and Border, has translated an announcement from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security (or BMBoHRaSS for short) that states that employment license applicants will be required to submit a “certificate of no criminal conviction” from their country of residence as of July 1, 2013.Read More

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Laowai loses $20K, dignity to 50-year-old hooker

The Shanghaiist reports that after a night of heavy drinking an unidentified foreigner in Guangzhou chose the wrong prostitute to haggle with. After haggling for a while with the 50 year old woman, the two cut a deald for 500 yuan and were seen leaving together in a taxi and checking into a nearby hotel. …Read More

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Paying Taxes in China – Reprised

I’m trying to be a good citizen or resident or businesswoman or whatever you want to call me. I figure I use the things that tax money buys. I use the roads and the street lights at night. I use the parks and the heavily subsidized public transportation. So I figure it’s only right that …Read More

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Tighter visa restrictions or just more of the same?

According to Shanghai Daily, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee is currently discussing a draft law that will shorten the minimum stay for foreigners who come to China to 90 days, with the residence permits ranging in validity from six months to five years. The draft law was designed with the aim of curbing the …Read More

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From Foreign Friends to Foreign Felons – new law wants your foreign fingerprints

Because living in China didn’t feel uneasy enough, a new draft law currently under review will require any foreigners staying longer than 6 months in China to have their fingerprints taken by the Entry & Exit Bureau and kept on file. China Daily: Foreigners who stay in China for more than six months will be …Read More

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Paying Taxes

I’m trying to be a good citizen or resident or businesswoman or whatever you want to call me. I figure I use the things that tax money buys. I use the roads and the street lights at night. I use the parks and the heavily subsidized public transportation. So I figure it’s only right that …Read More

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14 Comments

Chinese search giant Baidu in some US legal (bai)doo-doo

This is clever. So a few years ago Google enters China and is put under a global grilling lamp on whether or not it will adhere to local laws regarding censorship and its search results. Don’t Be Evil held for a little while, but 300+ million Chinese Internet users was bound to make anyone check …Read More

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Using Skype in China becoming illegal

Usually I love living in China, thirstily drinking the kool-aid that this place is changing for the better, improving a little bit every day. Sure it has its warts, but compared to 5 years ago, 15 years ago, 35 years ago… it’s definitely improving — right? Then Youtube gets blocked, Facebook and Twitter follow, as …Read More

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