Edinburgh Napier University

  Since 1979, China has encouraged foreign investment, particularly through the medium of
the joint venture.
Experience of the operation of these foreign joint ventures has highlighted some key features
of the Chinese business environment. These include the need for a long term view,
problems of corruption, a capricious legal framework, some distinctive issues in asset
valuation, and problems in remitting profits.
The traditional Chinese accounting framework was not applicable to a profit orientated
venture with foreign partners, accordingly a special system of accounting regulation, based
on International Accounting Standards (IAS’s), applied to foreign joint ventures. In 1993 a
new Chinese accounting system, drawing largely on IAS’s, applied to both foreign owned
and national enterprises in China..
The foreign partner in a Chinese joint venture consequently needs to be sensitive to special
issues in investment appraisal, particularly internal control needs relating to corruption,
the distinctive character of certain items in the accounts, and the prospects for the future
evaluation of Chinese accounting