Nonetheless, recent legislation signifies that Common Prosperity and digital transformation shall continue to dominate forthcoming regulations in 2023 and beyond. For companies, it is crucial to keep abreast of new policies and changes, as provisions can significantly impact business operations and strategies.
Common prosperity (共同富裕 gòngtóng fùyù)

‘Common Prosperity’ is not a 20th-century political term. Its literal translation is to get rich (富裕 fùyù) altogether (共同 gòngtóng) and first appeared in 1953 in People’s Daily newspaper. The term is attributed to the holding of resources for the common and reflects the fundamental collective society in China. Most recently, it resurfaced in President Xi Jinping’s inauguration speech as Party Secretary in 2017, and more predominantly in the Prospect Vision of the year 2035 in the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (October 2020). The principle refers to prosperity for all people. Namely, socioeconomic development and wealth shall not be obtained by select individuals or groups, rather it is collectively acquired and benefited by the people.

In practice, Common Prosperity underlines socioeconomic reforms to alleviate poverty in the poorer regions and reduce socioeconomic polarisation between the urban and rural areas.

Common Prosperity in legislation

Legislation fostering sustainable economic growth and high-quality development are key to achieving Common Prosperity. For example, the revised Anti-Monopoly Law effective from 1 August 2022 elevates legal liabilities to prevent larger companies from monopolising the market and eliminating smaller competitors. Equally, the revisions prioritise anti-trust policies to ensure sustained market development and fairer market practices.

More recently, the revised Unfair Competition Law, draft for comment (‘Revision’), issued on 22 November, strengthens legal protection for small and medium companies (‘SMEs’) in China. Specifically, Article 13 of the Revision targets companies with comparatively dominant positions and lists forbidden practices that disrupt fair trade and fair competition. Violating companies can face fines of up to 1 million RMB.

Moving into 2023, curbing monopolies, especially in the big tech companies and optimising a fairer market for SMEs shall continue. Common Prosperity promotion within the material, ecological and cultural in a context of high-quality development, as outlined by President Xi Jinping in the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs (2021) will underline national and local policies.

Digital transformation of SME

SMEs are a driving force in China. Accounting for 50% of taxes, 60% of GDP and 70% of technology innovation, SMEs significantly contribute to economic growth. Industrial digital transformation for SMEs can be financially and practically challenging to implement. However, the digital transformation of SMEs is key to long-term development, reducing reliance on the external environment, and accelerating the overall digital economy.

The Circular of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Issuing the Guide to the Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (‘Guide’), effective from 3 November 2022, calls local governments to advance digital development in SMEs. The Guide reflects Common Prosperity principles in fostering high-quality and sustained development for smaller companies. And provisions focus on lowering investment barriers for SMEs to upgrade software and integrate into a digital ecosystem.

Specific provisions promote the following:

• providing small, fast, lightweight, and precise products and solutions;
• researching, developing, and promoting low-code products and services;
• developing subscription-based software services;
• helping SMEs to create, deploy, use, and adjust digital applications themselves, and
• improving SMEs’ secondary development capability and demand response capability.

Overall, digitalisation plays a vital role in China’s socioeconomic development. In 2023, we predict that local supportive policies should be issued by local governments to expedite internet applications for SMEs, upgrade company infrastructure, and make business operations more efficient and cost-effective. In addition, forthcoming cyber and data security regulations and rules are anticipated across sectors. Cyber security will become increasingly prevalent, as digitalisation accelerates in the business world.

What it means for foreign investment in China

For foreign companies, understanding Common Prosperity and its practical implications are essential.

Aligning business strategies with Chinese politics and policies determines a company’s success and profits significantly.

The days of leveraging cheap labour in China or a western brand story are long gone. Sustainable investments that fulfills Common Prosperity are here to stay.

Moving to 2023, China’s outlook may seem unpredictable, however, it is clear that foreign investment in China has moved into a new era.

Author: Roberto Gilardino, Managing Partner APAC, Horizons Corporate Advisory

This content appears as a courtesy of Horizons Corporate Advisory, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.horizons-advisory.com. 

The post China’s outlook in 2023: what’s shaping business strategies appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

For employers, understanding salary obligations for employees in quarantine or lockdown can be challenging. Employers must adhere to labour obligations according to the law otherwise may face labour disputes. We provide a Q&A on employer obligations when employees are quarantined or lockdown.

What is the salary obligation for quarantined employees?

Quarantined employees providing  normal work in quarantine or under other emergency measures taken by the government based on  epidemic prevention and control shall be treated as normal attendance and paid normal remuneration.

According to the notice on properly handling the labor relations during the prevention and control of pneumonia infected by novel coronavirus (the “Notice”) issued by the general office of the Ministry of human resources and social security, infected or suspected employees  suspected employees deemed as close contact and cannot provide normal work during quarantine or medical observation, or due to the implementation of isolation measures or other emergency measures by the government, shall be treated as  normal attendance and paid normal renumeration.

For employers, the Notice suggests that employers negotiate with the employee to treated the period as annual leave or rest days. If negotiations are not established, the employer can implement the overall arrangements according to the annual leave of the isolated employees according to law.

What if my enterprise faces difficulties in production and operation due to the impact of the epidemic measures?

Under the Notice, the enterprise may adjust the salary, rotate the post and rest, shorten the working hours and so forth through consultation with the employees.

If the enterprise is shutdown within a wage payment cycle, the enterprise shall still pay the wages of employees according to the standards stipulated in the labor contract.

If the employee is still unable to provide normal work beyond one wage payment cycle, the enterprise shall pay living expenses, and the standard of living expenses shall be implemented in accordance with the measures of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government.

What if employee’s labour contract expires during quarantine?

In the event that the employee’s labor contract expires during quarantine, the date shall be postponed till the  employee finishes the quarantine or medical observation period.

How to determine the arbitration statutory limitation during epidemic measures?

Under, the Labor Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Law of the people’s Republic of China the statutory limitation for application of labour disputes arbitration is limited to one year (‘the period’). The period shall be calculated from the date the parties recognise or should recognise the infringement of rights. However, if the parties are unable to apply for arbitration within the  period due to force majeure or other justified reasons such as epidemic measures, the period shall be suspended and the period shall be recalculated from the date the force majeure or other justified reasons finishes.

Equally, If the labor and personnel dispute arbitration institution cannot hear the case within the period due to the impact of the epidemic measures, the hearing time limit may be postponed accordingly.

This content appears as a courtesy of Horizons Corporate Advisory, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.horizons-advisory.com. 

The post Employer Obligations during Quarantine appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

Während der Pandemie in den Jahren 2020 und 2021 waren plötzlich sehr viele Unternehmen in der Situation Lohnkosten nicht mehr alleine tragen zu können und somit auf die Einführung von Kurzarbeit im Betrieb angewiesen. Ein Grossteil der betroffenen Unternehmen hatte zuvor keinerlei Erfahrung mit Kurzarbeit und war weder mit den eigenen noch den behördlichen administrativen Verfahrensabläufen und –anforderungen vertraut. Die dringliche Gesamtsituation in der Pandemie führte schliesslich dazu, dass das Antragsverfahren um Kurzarbeitsentschädigung durch den Staat stark vereinfacht wurde und aufgrund der Flut an Anträgen, die behördliche Prüfung über die Berechtigung zur Kurzarbeitsentschädigung zumindest für die Dauer der Pandemie nur summarisch erfolgte. Betroffene Unternehmen und ihre Mitarbeiter waren dankbar für die schnelle Bearbeitung, die staatliche Unterstützung und den geringeren bürokratischen Aufwand. Vielen Unternehmen mag die Gewährung der Kurzarbeitsentschädigung aus der finanziellen Notlage geholfen und den Fortbestand des Betriebs sowie die bestehenden Arbeitsplätze gesichert haben. Sie haben darauf vertraut, dass ihnen die Kurzarbeitsentschädigung berechtigterweise gewährt und ausbezahlt wurde. Nun bringen es Krisen leider auch mit sich, dass natürliche und juristische Personen mit gewisser krimineller Energie versuchen, sich bewusst und in unberechtigter Weise Leistungen zu erschleichen. Die Behörden waren sich dieses Problems durchaus bewusst, hatten sich zum Schutz der Unternehmen, die rechtskonform und lauter handeln, jedoch für das vereinfachte Antrags- und Prüfverfahren entschieden. Es wurde jedoch von Anfang an darauf hingewiesen, dass sämtliche Anträge auf Kurzarbeitsentschädigung nach der Pandemie einer intensiven Überprüfung unterzogen werden und es bei unberechtigtem Bezug von Kurzarbeitsentschädigungen zu Rückforderungen und allenfalls Bussen kommen könne.

Seit einigen Monaten läuft eine umfassendere behördliche Überprüfung der pandemiebedingten Anträge auf Kurzarbeitsentschädigung. Nun sehen sich manche Unternehmen oftmals unerwartet einer Rückforderung der vormals gewährten Kurzarbeitsentschädigungen ausgesetzt, weil die behördlich intensivierte nachträgliche Überprüfung Unstimmigkeiten bei der Antragsstellung oder sonstige Gründe feststellte, die gegen einen berechtigten Bezug der Kurzarbeitsentschädigung sprechen. Gegen den Rückforderungsentscheid können sich die betroffenen Unternehmen mittels Einsprache zur Wehr setzen. Diese bleibt jedoch häufig erfolglos, insbesondere wenn tatsächlich ein unberechtigter Bezug nachgewiesen wird. Die staatlichen Rückforderungsansprüche können sehr hoch sein und wirtschaftliche Engpässe und Unternehmenskrisen verursachen. Die erhaltenen Kurzarbeitsentschädigungen sind längst an die Mitarbeiter ausbezahlt worden und das Unternehmen verfügt zwischenzeitlich nicht über die nötigen liquiden Mittel für eine Rückzahlung. Die Rückforderung darf keinesfalls auf die Mitarbeiter abgewälzt werden, d.h. ausbezahlte Kurzarbeitsentschädigungen dürfen seitens des Arbeitgebers nicht zurückgefordert werden.

Welche Möglichkeiten haben Sie in einem solchen Fall?

Das Gesetz sieht unter gewissen Voraussetzungen vor, dass staatliche Ansprüche auf Rückzahlung der Kurzarbeitsentschädigung im Einzelfall erlassen werden können (Art 25 Abs. 1 ATSG, Art. 4 + 5 ATSV). Hierfür muss ein Erlassgesuch bei der zuständigen Behörde gestellt werden, sobald die Rückforderungsverfügung in Rechtskraft erwachsen ist. Im Gesuch ist darzulegen, dass das Unternehmen beim Leistungsbezug sowohl gutgläubig war als auch die Rückforderung aus finanzieller Sicht eine grosse Härte darstellt. Blosse Unkenntnis darüber, dass man die Leistungen unberechtigt bezog, begründet den geforderten Gutglaubensschutz nicht. Aussicht auf Erfolg besteht, sofern dem Antragsteller nur leichte Fahrlässigkeit vorgeworfen werden kann. Das kumulative Kriterium der grossen Härte wird in der Regel dann bejaht, wenn die zurückgeforderten Beträge in Summe mehr als 20 % des durchschnittlichen Reingewinns von 3 Jahren betragen.

Haben Sie weitere Fragen? Das HütteLAW-Team berät Sie gerne.

Author: Cornelia Arnold

This content appears as a courtesy of HütteLAW, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.huettelaw.ch.

The post How to defend against short-term work compensation reclaims appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

What is force majeure?

A force majeure clause exempts one or both parties from liability or obligation since an extraordinary event, such as war, strike, crime, or “Act of God” prevents one or more parties from fulfilling their obligations under the signed contract. Epidemic measures enacted to contain COVID-19 (such as lockdown) which directly restricts companies from performing contractual obligations may constitute as a force majeure, since the original terms can no-longer be performed. For instance, as the citywide lockdown in Shanghai continues, manufacturers unable to resume work cannot fulfil their contractual obligations, and such manufacturers may invoke the force majeure clause.

Invoking force majeure during or after lockdown

The legal basis for force majeure is provisioned under The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China

Articles 180, 563 and 590.

Article 180
A person who is unable to perform his civil-law obligations due to force majeure bears no civil liability, unless otherwise provided by law. “Force majeure” means objective conditions which are unforeseeable, unavoidable, and insurmountable

Article 563
The parties may rescind the contract under any of the following circumstances:
(1) the purpose of a contract is not able to be achieved due to force majeure;

Article 590
Where a party is unable to perform the contract due to force majeure, he shall be exempted from liability in whole or in part according to the impact of the force majeure, unless otherwise provided by law. The party unable to perform the contract due to force majeure shall promptly notify the other party to mitigate the losses that may be caused to the other party, and shall provide proof of the force majeure within a reasonable period of time. Where the force majeure occurs after a party’s delay in performance, such party’s default liability shall not be exempted

Under such provisions, companies invoking force majeure are not wholly exempted from contractual obligations. Rather companies are required to prove that the lockdown measures directly impacted their contractual terms. For example, a manufacturer could not deliver the goods as agreed within the contract since the factory was lockdown and manufacturing could not continue, therefore, the manufacturer could be exempted from such obligation and breach of contractual term.

In conclusion, affected companies can be exempted from for the breach of contract in part or in whole according to the influence of the force majeure – such as an epidemic measure.

Terminating contracts under force majeure

Contracts can only be terminated if the fundamental purpose of the contract cannot be achieved due to force majeure. Namely, where the contract cannot be performed or cannot be performed in accordance with the agreed terms defined in the contract.

The Circular of the Supreme People’s Court on Issuing the Guiding Opinions (II) on Several Issues concerning the Proper Trial of Civil Cases Related to the COVID-19 Epidemic According to the Law (“the guiding opinions of the Supreme Court (II)) provides further guidance on contract termination.

If the epidemic situation or epidemic prevention and control measures cause the parties to fail to perform the sales contract within the agreed time limit or the performance cost will be increased, and the continued performance does not affect the realization of the purpose of the contract, if either party request to terminate the contract, the people’s court will not support.

Under such example, though the continued performance of the contract has been adversely affected by the epidemic measures, the force majeure does affect the purpose of the contract. Hence, the contract cannot be terminated.  Instead, both parties to the contract shall still perform their contractual obligations in accordance with the agreement in accordance with the principle of good faith.

The affected party in such instance may apply the change of circumstance to renegotiate the contractual terms, if the epidemic situation or epidemic prevention and control measures significantly increased the performance costs of labor, raw materials and logistics, or significantly reduced the price of products.

Change of circumstances

The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China revised in 2020 includes epidemic within the provisions in change of circumstances. Specifically, parties to a contract adversely affected by the epidemic may renegotiate the conditions for the performance of the contract. If the negotiation fails within a reasonable period of time, each party may request the people’s court or arbitration institution to change or terminate the contract.

The Civil Code stipulates parties to renegotiate new terms in the first instance and continue to perform according to the negotiated terms. However, if the negotiation fails each party may request the people’s court or arbitration institution to change or terminate the contract by applying to the principle of fairness.

Where the people’s court or arbitration institution decides to change the contract, the party shall continue to perform the contract according to the changed conditions based on the agreement of the parties or the effective judgment document.

Case Study

Epidemic prevention and control measures directly restricted the delivery of  goods within the agreed time limit defined in the contract. Parties failed to negotiate new terms and the seller requested the people’s court to change the conditions of performance time limit. The people’s court changed the performance time limit according to the principle of fairness in combination with the actual situation of the case.

Consequently, companies should note that invoking force majeure clause for lockdown measures can be complex, which requires proof of the force majeure directly impacting the contractual obligation. Under certain circumstances, the party is exempted from the breach of contract, but the performance of the contract shall continue. Terminating contracts under force majeure should demonstrate the purpose of the contract is affected by the force majeure, otherwise the people’s court may not support such case. Alternatively, companies may utilise the change of circumstances provisions to renegotiate more suitable terms or apply to the people’s court to change or terminate the contract.

This content appears as a courtesy of Horizons Corporate Advisory, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.horizons-advisory.com. 

The post Invoking force majeure in commercial contracts during lockdown appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

Lowered percentages

Effective from the 27 March till the 31 December 2022, the percentage related to two types of social security have been lowered.

The post Recent social security insurance policies in Shanghai appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

We highlight the practical elements for enterprises to note when implementing the resumption of work.

1. Closed-loop management

Enterprise should implement a closed-loop pandemic control mechanism that is acknowledged by the authorities. Namely, a closed-loop refers to area zoning and category-based management for different areas to prevent physical contact between different groups of employees such as in production, common areas, or meeting rooms, as well as establishing no-contact with external individuals such as logistic suppliers (external individuals must hold a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours and on-site negative antigen test results). As result, employers should ensure the employees are segregated into groups, establish the work environment to permit one metre social distancing within the workplace, and restrict or limit physical contact between such groups to isolate positive cases to one group and prevent cluster outbreaks.

2. Emergency response plan

Enterprises shall formulate emergency response plans for COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplace. Any employees with abnormal antigen detection and nucleic acid detection should be reported to the official in charge and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Transportation and treatment of those diagnosed with COVID-19 should be priorly established with the local government and temporary isolation measures should be implemented for close-contact staff. Large enterprise shall set up a shelter in the factory area.

3. Stock of Anti-Pandemic Materials

Enterprises should maintain a stock of anti-pandemic materials and purchase antigen self-test kits, face masks, alcohol-based disinfectants, hand sanitizers, infrared thermo-detectors, thermal imaging detectors, protective suits, goggles, disposable gloves, etc. whenever necessary. A minimum supply of anti-pandemic materials for 14 days is recommended. All used protective items shall be disposed properly and safely.

The Guideline also adds that enterprises should resume work and production under the guidance of district governments on a “one-on-one” basis. We suggest that enterprises consult with professionals to ensure the resumption of work is compliant with the local guidelines and district government.

This content appears as a courtesy of Horizons Corporate Advisory, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.horizons-advisory.com. 

The post Resuming work for industrial enterprises in Shanghai? appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

Corporate income tax

The corporate income tax rate was reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent for small and micro-businesses. The tax rate is applied to the profit portion from 1 million RMB to 3 million RMB.

Reduction and exemption of six taxes and two fees

Six taxes and two fees for small and micro enterprises and individual businesses will be reduced within 50% of the tax amount (taxes include resource tax, urban maintenance, and construction tax, real estate tax, urban land use tax, stamp duty excluding stamp duty on securities transactions, arable land occupation tax and education fee surcharge, and local education surcharge within 50% of the tax amount)

The percentage rate will be implemented by the local provincial or municipal government; therefore the rate may vary.

Eligibility

Small and micro enterprises are defined as the following:

• Engaged in industries not restricted or prohibited by the State
• Annual taxable income does not exceed 3 million RMB
• The number of employees does not exceed 300
• Total assets do not exceed 50 million RMB

Refund of incremental VAT credits

From the tax filing period of April 2022, refund of incremental VAT credits is extended to micro and small enterprises, and individual-owned businesses. Such enterprises are also granted a lump sum refund of existing tax credits.

Eligibility

Such enterprises shall meet the following conditions to apply for a refund.

Tax credit rating is A or B;

Has not obtained any VAT credit refund or export tax refund in a fraudulent manner or falsely issued any VAT invoice in the 36 months before the application for the tax refund;

Has not been subjected to penalties on two or more occasions by a tax authority for tax evasion in the 36 months before the application for tax refund; and

Has not benefited under the policy of “immediate refund upon payment” or “return/refund after payment” of excess VAT since April 1, 2019.

Small-scale VAT taxpayers

Small-scale VAT taxpayers subject to 3% VAT on sales revenue will be exempted from VAT from 1 April to 31 December 2022.

Eligibility

Small-scale VAT taxpayers are taxpayers engaged in producing goods or providing services with an annual VAT taxable revenue not exceeding 5 million RMB.

The post Latest tax policies to support businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

Q: Which type of enterprises are eligible for rent exemptions?

A: Under the Circular on Working Effectively on the Rent Concessions for Small and Micro Enterprises and Individual Businesses in the Service Industry in 2022, small and micro enterprises and individual business in services are eligible for rent exemptions. In Shanghai, the municipal government issued further policies to expand the scope of enterprises and individual businesses to all industries. For those outside of Shanghai, we recommend checking the related local municipal or provincial policies.

Q: Does rent exemptions apply to all properties?

A: Applicable enterprises renting state-owned housing are eligible for rent exemptions. Such enterprises may be exempted from 3 months’ rent. An additional 3 months is allocated to enterprises listed in the medium or high-risk areas or under circumstances that the epidemic prevention measures severely impacted business operations.

Q: Does rent exemptions apply to enterprises who have recently moved into their property?

A: Enterprises are required to have rented their property for minimum 6 months in the last year. Those eligible for an additional 3 months, enterprises are required to remain in the same property for 2 months afterwards.

For those renting commercial properties, rent exemptions or deductions is at the discretion of the commercial property. Negotiating favorable terms could be utilised to manage cash-flow challenges.

This content appears as a courtesy of Horizons Corporate Advisory, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.horizons-advisory.com. 

The post What you need to know about rent exemption for small and micro enterprises in China appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

Die sog. Proximity-Tracing-App (nachfolgend: «PT-App») soll helfen, die Ausbreitung des Coronavirus einzudämmen und dazu beitragen, Infektionsketten zu durchbrechen und besser nachzuverfolgen. Sie wird das Contact Tracing ergänzen, das die Kantone seit dem 13. Mai 2020 wieder durchführen. Gemäss dem Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG) soll die Nutzung der PT-App freiwillig und kostenlos sein. Die PT-App wird nur während der Dauer der Corona-Krise zur Verfügung stehen.

2. Was ist der aktuelle Stand zur PT-App?

Zur Einführung dieser App bedarf es einer gesetzlichen Grundlage, welche zurzeit ausgearbeitet wird und im Juni vom Parlament genehmigt werden soll. Bis dahin erfolgt – gestützt auf die Covid-19-Verordnung Pilotversuch Proximity-Tracing vom 13. Mai 2020 – eine Testphase der App. Getestet wird die App von Mitarbeitenden der ETH in Lausanne und Zürich, von Armeeangehörigen und Spital-Personal sowie der eidgenössischen und kantonalen Verwaltungen ab dem 18. Mai 2020. Die Gesetzesgrundlage soll in der Sommersession des Parlaments finalisiert werden. Danach soll die App landesweit allen Bürgern kostenlos zur Verfügung stehen.

3. Wie funktioniert die PT-App?

Wer die PT-App nutzen will, muss sie auf dem Smartphone installieren und stets Bluetooth eingeschaltet haben. Falls sich zwei Nutzer der PT-App länger als 15 Minuten und mit weniger als 2 Meter Abstand zueinander aufhalten, werden automatisch die Daten beider Nutzer anonymisiert auf den Geräten gespeichert. Die Abstandsmessungen via Bluetooth werden in den Test- und Pilotphasen fortlautend weiter kalibriert, damit die Genauigkeit verbessert werden kann. Durch die von Google und Apple in Aussicht gestellten Anwendungsschnittstellen (API) könne die Genauigkeit der Messung zudem weiter erhöht werden. Wird in der Folge einer der beiden Nutzer positiv auf das Coronavirus getestet, erhält er vom kantonsärztlichen Dienst einen sog. Covdicode. Jeder andere Nutzer, der sich im Zeitraum der Ansteckungsgefahr in der Nähe der positiv getesteten Person (länger als 15 Minuten, näher als 2 Meter) aufhielt, wird durch die PT-App entsprechend informiert und kann sich sodann an die in der App genannte Hotline wenden, um die weiteren notwendigen Schritte abzuklären.

In diesem Zusammenhang weist das BAG darauf hin, dass Wände zwar die Übertragung des Bluetooth-Signals bis zu einem gewissen Grad blockieren könnten, Plexiglasscheiben hingegen, wie sie zurzeit in der Gastronomie oder Einkaufsläden zunehmend eingesetzt werden, durch die App nicht erkannt werden. Ebenso wenig könne erkannt werden, ob die App-Nutzer Masken tragen. In diesen Fällen wird ein Kontakt zwischen zwei Personen trotzdem registriert. Es kann also nicht ausgeschlossen werden, dass es zu Falschmeldungen kommt. Wie gut die PT-App tatsächlich funktioniert, wird sich wohl erst in der konkreten Anwendung zeigen.

4. Ist der Datenschutz gewährleistet?

Es kommt eine dezentrale Datenspeicherung zu Anwendung. Das bedeutet, beim Herunterladen wird nicht mit einem zentralen Server kommuniziert. Bei einer Begegnung mit einem anderen App-Nutzer wird via Bluetooth ein verschlüsselter Code ausgetauscht, dieser wird lokal auf dem Smartphone für 21 Tage gespeichert und danach wieder gelöscht. Im Fall einer Infektion wird der Server jedoch zum Austausch der verschlüsselten Codes von infizierten Personen verwendet. Der Server der App befindet sich in den Datencentern der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft und wird von der Bundesverwaltung gehostet. Google und Apple haben angekündigt, offizielle Contact-Tracing-Apps zu unterstützen, aber keine Daten aus der App zu speichern. Damit die PT-App funktioniert und Zugriff auf Bluetooth hat, muss die Standort-Funktion freigegeben werden. Die App verwendet jedoch keine Satelliten-Standortortung (GPS).

Der Bundesrat sichert den jederzeitigen Datenschutz zu. So würden die Prüfsummen keine Informationen zur Person des App-Nutzers, zum Standort oder zum verwendeten Gerät enthalten. Allerdings werden wohl einige wenige anonyme Daten zu Statistikzwecken verwendet und zwar u.a. folgende Informationen: Anzahl erzeugter Aktivierungscodes pro Kanton, Anzahl der Anrufe bei der spezifischen Hotline für die benachrichtigten User und die Anzahl der App-Downloads vom Apple oder Google-Store. Zudem könne die Liste mit den anonymen Schlüsseln der infizierten Personen an Dritte weitergegeben werden, welche diese zum Abruf durch die anderen Benutzerinnen und Benutzer zur Verfügung stellen. Noch ist unklar, wer Dritte sind und in welchem Umfang diese Daten weitergegeben werden.

Dieser Beitrag wurde am 15.5.2020 erstellt. Weitere Informationen entnehmen Sie bitte den Behördenseiten. Aufgrund der aktuellen Lage sind Änderungen – insbesondere durch Behördenanweisungen – jederzeit möglich.

Quellen:

• https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/61307.pdf
• https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/61310.pdf
• https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/bag/de/dokumente/cc/kom/covid-19-faktenblatt-swiss-pt-app.pdf.download.pdf/BAG_Faktenblatt_Coronavirus_Swiss-PT-App.pdf
• https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-79103.html

This content appears as a courtesy of HütteLAW, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.huettelaw.ch.

The post CCG SCHWEIZ: Proximity Tracing — Die COVID-19 Warn-App (Proximity Tracing – The COVID-19 Warning App) appeared first on China Collaborative Group.

The coronavirus crisis has clearly become an economic challenge for the whole world. The spread of the virus represents both a negative supply shock and a negative demand shock across the economy at large. Through a variety of intermediate inputs in economies with a strong division of labour, this quickly leads to production restrictions in other companies and is ultimately detrimental to the smooth functioning of international value chains.

Since January, waves of city-wide closures and quarantines in China have shut down factories in the world’s second-largest economy, disrupting supply chains globally. Economies in Europe can clearly feel this. We can already see that a delay in delivery is happening. This can be traced back to a shortage of goods, production capacity and supplies. Also, export restrictions as a consequence of the coronavirus crisis play its role in this development.

As a reaction to this unknown situation companies will tend to reduce their business relations especially with Chinese goods. At the same time, it should be considered how to deal with existing contracts. From the legal perspective, it has to be examined whose law is applicable. Companies should assess if an agreement conferring jurisdiction was concluded for the benefit of only one of the parties. Both German law and Chinese law have the legal institution of material changes to the basis of the contract. This legal institution plays an important but at the same time subsidiary role. Therefore, it has to be evaluated very closely if a company can rely on this.

It became evident that problems in customs clearance processes, export control and statutory management requirements are the results of this new and unknown situation. A breach of obligations or interference due to force majeure could occur.

It now appears likely that some places will experience a local resurgence as restrictions are lifted and economies reopen. However, it will probably take months to ramp up operations and catch up on lost output.  So, it is important to take actions now. Therefore, we would like to give you the following recommendations to help you with this situation:

• It can be helpful to check on your contractual relationships to see if they are in need of reworking in the form of additional agreements due to situations like this.

• Also, there are numerous facilitations of tax and customs issues than can help your business with current liquidation problems.

• There are public economic help programs for help dealing with the crisis.

• There are changes to customers border processes, moving goods and clearing customs during the coronavirus outbreak: customs simplifications like AEO or simplifies procedures.

These measures should help to stabilize employment and company liquidity during a temporary crisis. Emergency response plans can help to deal with the effects on supply chains due to the crisis. If you feel that your company is affected by this crisis, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 This content appears as a courtesy of Möllenhoff Rechtsanwälte, a proud member of the China Collaborative Group (CCG Association). It is informational in nature and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship between you and its author, publisher or any member of CCG. For more information, please visit www.ra-moellenhoff.de. 

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