From the introduction of a sweeping national security law to a major overhaul of the city’s electoral system, Beijing’s hardline approach against Hong Kong’s democratic underbelly has largely been driven by national economic interests. Foreign companies will find that they are still welcome in the city as long as they comply with the new laws of the land.

In the halcyon days before the pandemic, when headlines were dominated by the mundane trials and tribulations of the US-China trade war, China enacted a sweeping new Foreign Investment Law as the worst of the hostilities began to die down. The regulations enshrined in this high-level law provide many of the concessions that the US and other G7 nations with investments in China had long been clamoring for, but also contain provisions to review foreign investments for national security concerns.

As he undertakes a thorough review of Trump’s China policies, President Biden is expected to formulate a China strategy that puts American interests first and strengthens US competitiveness in the global market. While he maintains that his administration will take a different path than his predecessor, there is no doubt that heated competition is on the horizon – and TikTok may find itself at the forefront of the battle.

Amendments to China’s Patent Law are set to take effect later this year. The changes promise to strengthen patent enforcement in China in a variety of areas and should allow foreign companies operating in China to better protect their intellectual property portfolios. However, changes to the Patent Law alone will not be enough to put an end to the predatory practices of forced technology transfer, and it remains to be seen how Chinese courts and regulators will interpret and enforce the amendments.

After only a dozen years since promulgating its initial Anti-Monopoly Law, currently proposed revisions promise to strengthen anti-monopoly enforcement in China and reshape the regulatory landscape in the world’s second largest economy. Actions by regulators over recent years have shown a commitment to more vigorous monopoly busting, and supplementary draft regulations indicate that China intends for its enforcement to be as robust as that found in the West.

A recent string of high-profile SOE defaults have revived hopes for market reform of China’s inefficient state sector. However, despite appearances to the contrary, Beijing continues to push for greater state control over the sector and an augmented role for SOEs in strategic industries and initiatives. As a result, the performance of China’s SOEs has stagnated and the state sector remains a burden to near-term economic growth.

Michael Jordan and Bruce Lee have been making news in China’s trademark scene over recent years with cases aimed at protecting the legitimate IP rights of foreign persons and entities in China. Amendments to China’s trademark laws should provide broader protections to companies across the board; however, questions concerning whether owners of less well-known brands can find as effective enforcement as celebrities sporting household names remain.