Shanghai to extend visas for expats - 347 multinational companies relocating to Shanghai

Huzzah, more good news for expats working in Shanghai! The local authorities are currently working on new policies to grant longer valid visasfor foreign nationals working for multinational corporations.

The policy is the continuation of a successful effort by local authorities to lure foreign multinationals to set their regional Asia and China headquarters in Shanghai, with 347 multinational companies relocating to Shanghai in the wake of favorable policies last year.

The Shanghai Daily reports:

"The Shanghai Commission of Commerce is working with the city's exit and entry administration to allow foreign employees of multinational corporations' regional headquarters to have longer visa validity," Chen Xianjin, the commission's vice chairman, said yesterday.

Currently, most foreign nationals in Shanghai must reapply for visas on a yearly basis, with exceptions only made occasionally for higher-ups or awesome guanxi-havers (maybe).

However, it won't be all concession-era neo-colonialist easy living in Shanghai. A new policy requiring expat workers and their employees to pay the same premiums for social welfare that locals do is currently being hashed out, while there are doubts as to whether expats will actually enjoy any of the services the new taxes will pay for:

"I can fully understand the policy but I feel doubt whether our foreign workers in Shanghai can enjoy the social insurance in the end," said Ding Hui, managing director of Inter IKEA Centre Group in China.

Of course, any complaints will invariably be answered with "If you don't like it, go home, you're a guest of this country, etc., etc.", and so on. 



http://shanghaiist.com/2012/02/10/jubilation_and_relief_shanghai_to_e.php

Ship design system: Spain to give China the world’s leading technology

SENER, Spain and China, Harbin Engineering University has reached a cooperation agreement, the university’s digital shipbuilding laboratory FORAN software license. Because of this agreement, a FORAN Technical Support Center has been established in Beijing in the HIT Lab. UnitedForceCorporation company as SENSER company engaged in the China market FORAN software distribution and technical support partners, has also been involved in the agreement. 

It is reported that a complete set of FORAN software has been installed in HIT, and with the ship, naval architecture, structural, mechanical and equipment, electrical design, construction planning, virtual reality, advanced design and mapping and design modification and access control, etc. licensed personnel. UFC has for university staff must be trained on FORAN software. 

Under the agreement, technical support center will help to FORAN software and the introduction of China’s shipbuilding industry on FORAN software localization and customization to assist SENER or UFC companies. 

FORAN software developed by the group SENER, Spain, the company started to ship design, 50-year history, with 40 years of shipbuilding experience in CAD software development and application. Present during the software development and applications, while still undertaking ship design project. FORAN software is the world’s most widely used professional software is one of the major shipbuilding. FORAN software can be used for a variety of ship design and construction, including conventional passenger ships, cargo ships, asymmetric boats, catamarans and so on, all kinds of military ships including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, etc., can also be used for FPSO, offshore platforms, etc. , covering all areas of shipbuilding expertise.