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| A Brief Introduction to Shanghai Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment (SAEFI) |
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| 2005-11-30 09:38 SAEFI |
Shanghai Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment (SAEFI) is a non-profit-making social legal entity approved by the Shanghai Municipal Government. It is composed of enterprises which are funded by foreign businessmen and by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Chinese, and other relevant organizations.
Established in March 1988, SAEFI elected the new leading members of the Association at the 5th session of its general assembly in March 2005. The honorary chairmen are: Mr. Zhou Yupeng, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Mr. Zhu Xiaoming, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, Mr. Zhou Bo, Director-General of both Shanghai Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Commission (SFERTC) and Shanghai Foreign Trade Investment Commission (SFIC), and Mr. Liu Jinping, Vice Director-General of both SFERTC and SFIC. The chairman is Mr. Sha Lin.
To better carry out its work, the council of the Association has invited all of its previous chairmen to be its advisers. Also invited as consultants are leaders from departments of the municipal government, such as Shanghai Development and Reformation Commission, Shanghai Administration for Industry & Commerce, Shanghai Financial Administration, Shanghai Local Tax Bureau, Shanghai Customs House, Shanghai Entry-Departure Inspection & Quarantine, State Administration of Foreign Exchange Shanghai Branch, Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau, Shanghai Statistical Bureau, etc.
In accordance with the Constitution of PRC and laws and regulations on opening-up and reform to boost foreign investments in Shanghai, the association has established the principle of trying its best to serve its members, and safeguarding their legal rights and interests, the purpose of which is to increase mutual contact, mutual understanding and corporation between Chinese and foreign parties of the member enterprises and relevant institutions of the local government, as well as among the member enterprises so that they can better exchange information and experience and hence play an active role in pushing forward Shanghai’s modernization drive and international economic corporation.
The main services provided to its members by the Association are as follows:
-- Activities such as report meetings and salons are held to inform members promptly on important information relating to state policies, laws and regulations.
-- Compiling a journal of the Association, “Foreign Investment in Shanghai”, a quarterly pamphlet “Collection of Recent Laws and Regulations”, a semi-monthly “News Letter” in both Chinese and English, and building up its own website (http://www.saefi.org.cn) to provide timely information on foreign investment.
-- Organizing the member enterprises to participate in international and domestic fairs, such as Guangzhou Export Commodities Fair, East China Fair and the like, with the authorization of the Ministry of Commerce of PRC, SFERTC and SFIC. It also helps its member enterprises expand their markets both at home and abroad by offering sales promotions and business inspections in and out of China.
--Providing information and services on human resources, including training managerial personnel for the enterprises.
-- Providing consultations from its members and other investors inside or outside China on their investment and trade, and acting on their behalf in setting up new projects or representative offices.
-- Hosting various activities to strengthen mutual understanding, mutual support, friendship and cooperation among its members, as well as between the member enterprises and local government.
-- Keeping abreast of the development and problems of its members, and reporting to relative government departments about their complaints and demands to secure their legal rights and interests.
Starting from September 1st, 1999, the association (SAEFI) has broadened its business scope to perform some additional tasks authorized by SFIC.
-- Issuing approval certificates to new foreign-funded enterprises;
-- Carrying out training programs for consulting agencies.
-- Appraising technologically-advanced foreign-funded enterprises, and making evaluations and assessments as well as issuing certificates for those technologically-advanced foreign-funded enterprises and export-oriented enterprises.
-- Mediating dispute for different parties in the foreign-funded enterprises.
-- Performing annual exam for the foreign-funded enterprises.
-- Handling automatic import licenses for importing specific commodities.
-- Affixing seals to documents on behalf of the administrative departments esponsible for those foreign-owned businesses.
-- Examining and verifying equipment for self use (including duty-free or dutiable as well as old mechanical and electric equipment) imported by the foreign-funded enterprises.
The Secretariat of the Association consists of an office department, a liaison department, an information department, an enterprise department, a human resources department, a sales & exhibition department, a law affairs department, a finance department and a consulting department. Besides, there are two limited-liability companies affiliated to the Association: Shanghai Foreign Investment Consulting Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Foreign Business Service Co., Ltd. Also within the Association is the office of the Complaint Center for Shanghai Foreign Invested Enterprises.
According to the "Articles of Association of SAEFI", the member enterprises of the Association are required to pay their membership dues every year based on different grades of their total investment.
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