About Us

2point6billion.com is a commentary and investment news outlet specifically dedicated to covering the legal, tax, and regulatory issues affecting foreign investment in emerging markets in Asia – and the impact this region is having on the global business community. Particular focus is placed on China, India and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN countries): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

2point6billion.com was founded by Dezan Shira & Associates Principal Chris Devonshire-Ellis in 2007 and is an integral part of the Asia Briefing Ltd. stable of titles. Asia Briefing also publishes country-specific titles for China, India, Vietnam, Russia, and Mongolia.

This site operates in cooperation with the emerging Asia foreign direct investment consulting firm Dezan Shira & Associates which maintains 20 offices across the region. The firm can provide advice on matters of foreign investment law, corporate establishment, tax and accounting matters in emerging countries. To contact the firm, please email asia@dezshira.com or download their brochure here.

To contact the editorial department for further information about this site or to point out any corrections, please use this form.
For information about advertising on the web site, please visit our dedicated advertising page.

All other inquiries can be sent to:

Asia Briefing Ltd
Suite 904, 9/F, Wharf T&T Centre, Habour City
7 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
HONG KONG

Editorial Team

Chris Devonshire-Ellis – Founder and Publisher
Chris is the founder and principal of Dezan Shira & Associates as well as the publisher of Asia Briefing. He has lived and worked in China for over 25 years, including time in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, and previously worked for several law firms in Asia. He has been based in Beijing since 2003. His text provides an operational overview combined with practical expertise in dealing with Asia business, and the impact of legal and tax regulations upon operations in Asia. He is a Vice Chair for the UNDP business advisory council for Northeast Asia. He is one of the few Asia commentators to possess an in-depth understanding of China, India and emerging Asia and is a regularly sought after commentator on emerging Asia issues. He is a long term member of the Beijing Capital Club and the Royal Overseas League. He became a baron in 2011.

Christian Fleming – Senior Editor
A native of Nantucket, Massachusetts in the northeastern United States, Christian joined Asia Briefing in 2009 and currently heads the online editorial team. He graduated from Bates College, Maine in 2008 with degrees in Economics and East Asian Studies and has studied Chinese at Nanjing University and Shanghai Ligong University. He is based in Asia Briefing's Shanghai office.

Samantha Jones – Senior Editor
Samantha was born in Washington D.C. and is now in her fourth year in China. She graduated from Wellesley College, conducted Chinese graduate studies courses at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, and worked at a Shanghai-based legal and operational consulting firm. She edits magazines and book titles for Asia Briefing.

Eunice Ku – Technical Editor
Eunice is from Hong Kong and completed her undergraduate degree at Emory University in the southern U.S. state of Georgia and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 2008. Prior to working at Asia Briefing, she worked as an associate at a law firm in Shanghai. Eunice is responsible for the editorial content of our technical legal and tax guides in addition to research for legal articles for our online section. She speaks English, Mandarin, and Cantonese fluently.

Vivian Ni – Editor
Vivian obtained her master's degree in international commerce from the University of Korea in 2009. Before joining Asia Briefing, she worked as a researcher for a Korea-based research institute and later as a brand image supervisor for an education consulting company. Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and conversational in Korean, Vivian regularly contributes articles to all of our Asia Briefing web sites and has particular involvement concerning China's finance industry.

Julia Gu – Assistant Editor
Julia grew up in Kuytun in Xinjiang Province, home to 47 ethnic groups. A graduate of Shanghai International Studies University with majors in Russian and English, Julia speaks Chinese, English, Russian, Kazakh and Turkish, and is an avid reader of business news, nonfiction and literature. She previously held positions in international relations at Sinopec and ENDEV, an international investment/business development firm. She writes articles and reports for the Asia Briefing web sites.

Martin Kuroczik – German Editor
Martin is a native of Germany and is in charge of editing and sourcing content for the German language edition of China Briefing magazine as well as translating the news web site. He also works closely with the German Desk of Dezan Shira & Associates. He studied in the UK and graduated with a BA in Economic and Social History from Leicester University and with an MA in International Political Economy from Leeds University.

Design Team

Chris Wei – Head Designer
Chris Wei is a native of Shanghai and has been with Asia Briefing since early 2005. She is in charge of the design and layout of all Asia Briefing publications and advertisements as well as the corporate identity and brand image for Dezan Shira & Associates. She graduated from Jiaotong University with a bachelor's degree in art design and attended the Shanghai College of Fine Arts. She is skilled in color illustrations, graphic design, and photography.

Kaushal Raj Subba – Senior Web Developer
Kaushal was born in Nepal and holds a bachelor's degree in business studies and completed his software engineering in 2004. He has been with Asia Briefing since early 2007 and his primary role is developing and maintaining the needs of our entire network of websites. As of now, he has gained over seven years of experience in the field of web development and is constantly updating himself with the latest industry trends.

September Wang – Designer
Receiving her degree in graphic design from Hunan Hengyang Normal University, September is our lead designer in Beijing. Assisting in the design of Asia Briefing's well-known magazines and books, she has resided in Beijing for the last four years, but is originally from Yulin in China's southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She is skilled in layout and graphic design.

Regular Contributors from Dezan Shira & Associates

Alberto Vettoretti – Managing Partner, China
Alberto is a native of Italy and was educated in the UK where he spent 5 years obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese, economics and management (Durham) and an MBA with specialization in Chinese law (Staffordshire). He has been a resident in China for over 14 years and speaks and writes fluent Mandarin, Italian, English and Spanish. Alberto joined Dezan Shira & Associates as an equity partner in 1998 and is now the firm’s managing partner in China while additionally being responsible for the firm’s overall development in China, Vietnam and Singapore. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China’s Pearl River Delta Chapter and was appointed International Advisor to the Guangzhou Government in 2011. Alberto is experienced in corporate structuring, tax planning and legal and management issues affecting foreign invested enterprises in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam and sits on various MNC boards in China and Hong Kong.

Sabrina Zhang – National Tax Partner, China
Sabrina is the national tax partner of Dezan Shira & Associates and is based in Beijing. Sabrina has over 16 years of experience in accounting, auditing and tax advisory services to both international businesses in China and large domestic corporations. Her bachelor's degree is in accounting, and her master's degree is in commerce from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Sabrina qualified as a Chinese Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1997, and she joined CPA Australia as an associate member in 2005. She comments on tax and audit matters for Asia Briefing.

Adam Livermore – Regional Manager, China
Adam joined Dezan Shira & Associates in 2006 after working for GMAC Commercial Mortgage in Tokyo, Japan. He holds a BSc in business studies and economics from the University of Sheffield. Based in Dalian, Adam oversees a wide range of projects implemented across China's northeast region and Shandong Province. Recently, he is focusing on expanding the firm's involvement in the payroll outsourcing sector. Adam is originally from London and speaks, reads and writes Japanese and Chinese in addition to his native English.

Rosario Di Maggio – Manager, South China/Vietnam
Rosario is responsible for our international clients in China’s Pearl River Delta region as well as Vietnam. As business advisory manager, he coordinates our in-house team of experts to set and implement clients’ foreign direct investment into both regions. From September 2010, Rosario has served as Vice President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in South China. He holds a Master’s Degree in international relations and developing countries from Bologna University and an MBA with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has lived in China since 2004 and is bilingual in Italian and French, and fluent in English and Spanish.

Richard Cant – Director of Legal and Accounting Services, China
Richard is an Australian lawyer/CPA who has worked in business and commercial consulting both in Australia and China for the past 20 years. He was previously a partner at Ernst & Young and holds an LLB from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Law from the University of Sydney. Richard is a director of legal services for Dezan Shira & Associates in Shanghai and contributes both legal and accounting content to the news section and magazines at Asia Briefing.

Cory Lam – Business Development Associate, China
Cory works with the Dezan Shira & Associates business development team in Shanghai and advises clients in the Yangtze River Delta region, particularly regarding accounting and tax structures in China. She received her bachelor education from Bristol University in the United Kingdom, majoring in mathematics with physics, and worked as a finance analyst with Lloyds TSB (UK) prior to her move to China. Cory is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese and she is a frequent contributor on Asia Briefing's various media platforms.

Cherry Bansal – Accounts Associate, India
Cherry has a diploma in Information Systems Audit from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and is a Gold Medalist Commerce Graduate from Patiala. She is also a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India since 2005. With Dezan Shira & Associates, Cherry handles the company's accounting requirements, as well as various taxation and business advisory services for FDI into India.

Neha Dewan – Business Advisory, India
Neha operates from the Gurgaon office of Dezan Shira & Associates, handling advisory and compliance assignments related to FDI, legal and corporate secretarial matters. She holds a membership from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and is a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) graduate from Delhi University. She brings more than four years of work experience which includes association with TMF Group, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hoang Thu Huyen – Country Manager, Vietnam
Huyen is the country manager of Dezan Shira & Associates in Vietnam and is based in Hanoi. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Economics from the Foreign Trade University and holds an MBA from the National Economics University in Hanoi. She previously worked for a local business consulting firm and has significant experience in corporate structuring, finance management, project appraisal, legal, tax and business management issues related to both local Vietnamese and foreign investors in the country. She is actively involved in writing articles and supporting Vietnam Briefing.

Nguyen Huyen My – Lawyer, Vietnam
Nguyen Huyen My holds an undergraduate degree in English language and she is also a graduate in law of Hanoi Law University. She has obtained the Certificate of Professional Training for Lawyer at the Judicial Academy. Before joining Dezan Shira and Associates, Huyen My had worked for some law firms as a legal consultant and investment advisor in Vietnam. At present, she is in charge of legal consulting for the company in Vietnam and contributes legal and investment news to Vietnam Briefing.

Hoang Bich Lien – Accountant, Vietnam
Lien is a native of Hanoi. She graduated from the Academy of Finance in Vietnam with a bachelor degree in business finance and got the certificate of chief accountant from the National Economics University in Hanoi. At the moment, she is in charge of accounting, payroll and tax advisory services for foreign clients in Vietnam and writing articles about tax and accounting issues for Vietnam Briefing.

Getting Asia Briefing to You

James Yang Du – Marketing Manager, China
With an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Oxford, James brings his digital marketing expertise to Asia Briefing with a special focus on social media marketing. Fluent in both Mandarin and English, James has extensive experience in management consulting and business development in the United States and China. He's highly passionate on the subject of how internet technology will help China interact with the rest of the world. Before joining Asia Briefing in Beijing, James worked as the digital marketing manager at a multinational media company in Shanghai.

Jessica Tou – Senior Marketing Executive, U.S. and International Relations
Born in New York and raised in North Carolina, Jessica received her degree from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her role as senior marketing executive, Jessica is responsible for establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships with the global business and government community. Fluent in Mandarin and English, she has also worked closely with the United Nations Development Program in China.

Alice Di Diego – Senior Marketing Executive, Southeast Asia
A native of Italy, Alice graduated from Milan University with degrees in political science and Asian languages and has work experiences in events and communication across Europe. She joined Dezan Shira & Associates and Asia Briefing in 2010 and currently manages Southeast Asia marketing, advertising, and public relations. Alice is also involved in the Italian desk activities for Dezan Shira & Associates. In addition to Italian, she is fluent in English and French, and has a good command of Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.

Nicole Li – Online Marketing Executive
A native Beijinger, Nicole joined Dezan Shira & Associates in 2007. In her role as the online marketing executive, Nicole manages both the Dezan Shira & Associates and Asia Briefing web sites and e-marketing campaigns. With a degree in information technology from the Macau University of Science and Technology, Nicole specializes in the application of electronic technology.

Azure Cao – Senior Marketing Executive, East China
Azure joined Dezan Shira & Associates and Asia Briefing in 2011 and handles events, content distribution and business development meetings throughout the East China region. As a Jiangsu Province native and former resident of the United States and Canada, Azure has attained fluent bilingual capabilities in English and Mandarin and is a graduate of Seattle University with degrees in business management and marketing.

Yang Sammi – Senior Marketing Executive
Yang Sammi, from Beijing, obtained her B.A. in arts management from the University of Huddersfield in 2007 (with honors) and has a master's degree in cultural management with new media from Northumbria University in the UK. In her role as senior marketing executive, Sammi is responsible for managing the Asia Briefing Bookstore and the distribution of print publications. She is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English.

Sara Pinzon – Senior Marketing Executive
Born in Colombia, Sara received her business degree in marketing and political science from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Sara's work as senior marketing executive at Asia Briefing focuses on public relations, event planning, as well as working collaboratively with international partnerships in order to further expand into international markets. In addition to her native Spanish, Sara possesses an excellent command of English and a thorough grasp of Mandarin Chinese.

Ankit Shrivastava – Marketing Executive, India and International Relations
Born in central India, Ankit obtained his MBA from Edith Cowan University, Perth (Australia) and his expertise is in marketing, research and analytics. With Dezan Shira & Associates, Ankit handles marketing and promotional activities in liaison with the firm's international marketing team. Ankit also produces useful content for online marketing activities and syndicated content with partners to improve media relations.