What drives the public’s evaluations and expectations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication in a global environment? Although companies have embraced CSR has a key business strategy, globalization has introduced new challenges for public relations practitioners seeking to engage audiences on a global level.

China’s new Environmental Protection Tax Law (EPT Law) came into effect on January 1. It replaces the old Pollutant Discharge Fees System. Taxation could increase, as more headroom for localities allows to set higher tax rates. Some leveling of the playing field is possible, as non-compliance and tax evasion are addressed. Supply chain costs may be impacted.

Last winter’s air pollution control plan in the larger Beijing area was unprecedented both in scale and intensity. The action plan was part of a much broader, central government-led effort to tackle China’s pervasive air pollution problem and significantly ramp up environmental protection efforts in general. It is highly unlikely at this point that the government will backtrack on this issue, given the long-term economic and political ramifications of doing so.

The Conference Board China Center has been tracking US-China trade relations very carefully over the past 18 months, and we recommend that our members review several key pieces that we sent out previously which anticipated the events now transpiring and outlined a range of important planning assumptions for MNCs.

Market shake-outs – as typical of creative destruction cycles, even those with “Chinese characteristics” – should yield better operating conditions over the longer-term, especially for competitive firms. At this critical juncture, executives need to understand the gamut of potential China exposures facing their companies – both positive and negative – so that they can position their companies to exploit associated opportunities and mitigate risks.

The reform and empowerment of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has the potential to dramatically disrupt many traditional partnership approaches MNCs have been using in China for many years – including co-investment arrangements that have become popular recently.

Intangible assets are especially important for China. Its remarkable rapid growth over the past three decades has enormously enlarged China’s manufacturing relative to that of the US, but in terms of labor productivity China appears to still be far away from American levels.