Will a first-round court victory for Chinese manufacturer Sany over the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US have implications for other foreign investors?

Part of China's shift away from manufacturing and towards more value-added sectors has seen it focus more on innovation and design. With an exponential rise in the number of Chinese students taking creative arts courses and a record number of design patents registered in recent years, it seems as if the country's creative juices are really starting to flow.

Global instability is nothing new, but the past few years have seen numerous flashpoints come to the fore around the world. This leaves many companies in a quandary over whether to stay in an unsettled location, how to insure themselves, and how to keep the locals on side should they choose to stay put. 

While the political relationship between China and Japan remains tense, Chinese FDI into Japan has been picking up pace, with investors keen to take advantage of economic synergies between the two countries.

Allegations of corruption have dealt a blow to several international pharmaceutical companies operating in China. Despite this, the long-term prognosis for the industry remains good, with huge growth potential in what is set to become the world's second largest drugs market by 2016.