Shanghai Weekly Bulletin (lssue 2,October 2023）

The State Council recently released the Guidelines on Boosting the High-quality Development of Inclusive Finance. The document covers issues of 12 aspects, including overall requirements, optimizing products and services in key areas of inclusive finance, improving the organizational system of multi-level inclusive financial institutions, enhancing the inclusive insurance system, and elevating the efficiency of capital market in serving inclusive finance.

Source: website of the Chinese government 

https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202310/content_6908495.htm

Ten authorities including the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) recently issued the Measures for the Review of Science and Technology Ethics (for Trial Implementation). With 56 articles in five chapters, the Measures clarify that scientific and technological activities involving human participants and experimental animals, and activities that may bring about ethical risks and challenges to life and health, ecological environment, public order, and sustainable development, should be subject to ethics review in accordance with the Measures.

Source: MOST

https://www.most.gov.cn/xxgk/xinxifenlei/fdzdgknr/fgzc/gfxwj/gfxwj2023/202310/t20231008_188309.html

Shanghai Municipal Intellectual Property Administration and Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration recently issued the Guidelines on Strengthening Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the Field of Pharmaceutical Procurement. The document lists 15 measures in three aspects, including establishing a coordination mechanism, strengthening business collaboration, and strengthening work arrangement.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Intellectual Property Administration

https://sipa.sh.gov.cn/zwgk_zxxxgk/20231010/12fb8cacbd5e427cb0f8ca1e6acc4295.html

Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology and other three authorities jointly released on October 10, 2023 the Measures for the Administration of Carriers for Sci-tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Shanghai, which have 34 articles in seven chapters, including general principles, carrier cultivation standards, application and management, supervision and evaluation, means of support, promotion and guidance, and supplementary provisions.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology

https://stcsm.sh.gov.cn/zwgk/kjzc/zcwj/kwzcxwj/20231012/30040f661d9b41a4b461c35f657053be.html

At a seminar discussing bankruptcy cases on October 11, 2023, the People's Court of Pudong New Area released the Rules on the Application of Laws and Regulations Applicable in Pudong New Area for Handling Bankruptcy Cases (II) and the Rules on the Application of Laws and Regulations Applicable in Pudong New Area for Handling Bankruptcy Cases (III). The two rules address the requirement in Article 19 of the Several Provisions on Improving the Market-oriented and Law-based Enterprise Bankruptcy System in Pudong New Area that the People's Court of Pudong New Area should establish a supervisory, guidance and evaluation mechanism for the performance of the administrator's duties, and the requirement established in Article 17 about the administrator nomination system. The rules aim to improve the applicable standards and implementation procedures, prompt administrators to efficiently perform their duties in accordance with the law, promote the high-quality development of the administrator team, and reflect the effective implementation of regulations in Pudong New Area.

Source: Shanghai High People’s Court

Gathering global wisdom and working together for a better future, the 35th meeting of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai opened on October 15, 2023. The meeting was attended by Chen Jining, secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Gong Zheng, deputy secretary and mayor of Shanghai, and 30 international business leaders from 12 countries, who shared their insights and cases on the theme of "Changes and New Opportunities: Making Shanghai a More Robust and Resilient International Metropolis". The meeting aims to promote in-depth cooperation between Shanghai and international companies and achieve common development. 

Source: Shanghai Release

The International Biopharma Industry Week Shanghai 2023（IBIWS） will be held from October 16 to 20. Under the theme of "Striving Together for a Thriving Industry", the five-day event will include an opening ceremony and 40 high-level activities, as well as regular activities all around the year.  

Source: Shanghai Release

The 2023 China 5G Development Conference, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will be held at the Shanghai International Convention Center on October 20-21. The conference will include a main forum, a number of sub-forums and an exhibition display, and will involve 5G network construction, technologies and integrated applications, with in-depth discussion of 5G development trends and sharing of the latest progress. Through meetings, forums, displays and exhibitions, the conference aims to advance industry collaboration, deepen international exchange and drive high-quality development of the 5G industry.

Source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization 

The Ninth Shanghai International Comedy Festival opened on October 7 and will last until December 31, 2023. More than 200 comedy shows and interactive activities will be staged at theaters and performance venues across Shanghai during the festival, and the scale and number of performances are the biggest in history. 

Source: Shanghai Tourism

2. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center Releases First Preview of 2024 Performance Season 

Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center recently released the first preview of the 2024 performance season. It plans to rehearse 45 plays next year. Eight highlight programs will be launched, including the stage play "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", the Chinese style suspense stage play "The Code of Along the River During the Qingming Festival", and the drama "Journey to the West".

Source: Shanghai Tourism

Boston Scientific announced on October 9, 2023 that it will build an industrial base of medical technologies in the Lin-gang Special Area. The project is the first production base established by Boston Scientific in China. It will deepen Boston Scientific’s localization layout in China and make its strategic contribution to the Health China initiative.

Source: Invest Shanghai

Q1: Officials at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) explain the Measures for the Review of Science and Technology Ethics (for Trial Implementation) - what are the basic considerations and measures in the Measures?

A: During the drafting process, we focused on three priorities. The first is to promote science and technology for good cause, guard against potential risks that may be brought by scientific and technological activities, and ensure scientific and technological innovation activities are carried out in the right direction. The second is to follow the laws of science and technology, and drive the integrated and collaborative development of sci-tech innovation and ethics based on our country's development stage and social and cultural characteristics. The third is to stick to the problem-oriented approach and try to solve problems such as unclear responsibilities for science and technology ethics review, irregular procedures, and imperfect mechanisms.

To this end, the Measures propose a series of measures and makes relevant provisions to improve the system, standardize review procedures, introduce stringent standards and strong regulatory oversight.

First, the main scope of science and technology ethics review is delineated, and we propose that the promotion of innovation and risk prevention should be unified, and uncertainties and technology application risks should be objectively assessed and prudently treated. Science and technology ethics review should focus on activities that may affect people's legitimate rights and interests and animal welfare, and bring ethical risks to life and health, ecological environment, public order, and sustainable development.

The second is to clarify the responsible subjects for science and technology ethics review, the establishment standards and operational mechanism of the science and technology ethics (review) committee, and put forward specific requirements for the system construction, supervision and management of the committee.

The third is to clarify the basic procedures for ethics review, determine the content and review standards, and clarify the contents of the list of scientific and technological activities that require ethical review, and the adjustment and update mechanism.

The fourth is to clarify the regulatory and management responsibilities of relevant departments and innovation entities, establish a science and technology ethics (review) committee and a registration system for high-risk activities, and make provisions for ethics violations and the division of labor for investigating and handling unethical activities.

Source: MOST

https://www.most.gov.cn/xxgk/xinxifenlei/fdzdgknr/fgzc/zcjd/202310/t20231010_188399.html

Are there exceptions to waive employer obligations of making social security contributions for their foreign employees? 

By: Pan Jihong, Kong Qi, Chen Ke, Xu Xiangzhi (Dentons Shanghai Office)

Companies can determine whether there are bilateral social security exemption agreements between China and the other countries based on the nationality of its foreign employees. China has signed social security mutual exemption agreements with Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Finland, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Japan and Serbia. Companies can determine which insurance they do not have to buy for their foreign employees based on the content of agreements with different countries. For example, German citizens who are employed in China do not need to participate in basic pension insurance and unemployment insurance if they can provide proof of insurance in Germany.