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Ashwin Kaja is an associate in the firm’s Beijing office and is a member of the firm’s International Trade, Public Policy, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, and Anti-Corruption practice groups. He has advised multinational companies, governments, and other clients on a range of matters related to international trade, public policy and government affairs, data privacy, foreign investment, anti-corruption compliance and investigations, corporate law, real estate, and the globalization of higher education. He also serves as the China and India editor for Covington’s GlobalPolicyWatch.com. Mr. Kaja is also a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US). Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kaja was an associate at another major international law firm in Beijing.
Beyond his legal practice, Mr. Kaja is an active member of his community. He has taught at and is involved in building international collaborations between universities around the world and is actively engaged in social entrepreneurship.
Mr. Kaja is originally from New York. He speaks fluent Mandarin and Spanish, and is conversational in Telugu.
- Advising trade officials of a major foreign government on legal, regulatory, and administrative restrictions on foreign investment in China to assist in the negotiation of a bilateral investment treaty.
- Advising major online content provider navigate Chinese laws and regulations on privacy, data security, and content management, assisting them in developing a strategy for entering Chinese market.
- Advised a leading pharmaceutical company on developing and implementing internal government affairs capacity in China.
- Advised a multinational technology hardware company in developing internal government affairs capacity in China.
- Advising online travel site on consumer data protection matters and relevant legal and regulatory developments in China.
- Advised multinational biopharmaceutical company on privacy and property ownership issues related to the collection and sharing of biological samples in clinical trials.
- Prepared training materials on government affairs engagement for staff at a multinational consumer products company.
- Advised various companies on online personal information collection practices in China.
Memberships and Affiliations
- New York City Bar Association, Member
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Member
August 30, 2019, Covington Alert
On August 27 and 29, 2019, the U.S. Administration released notices concerning increases in certain tariffs on Chinese imports, marking the latest escalation in bilateral trade frictions.
June 21, 2019, Covington Alert
Earlier this week, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced a process through which companies can request that their products be excluded from duties imposed on $200 billion in Chinese imports under Section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1974 (Section 301). Tariffs on these imports have been in effect since September 2018, and recently increased ...
May 14, 2019, Covington Alert
On May 13, days after increasing tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports, the U.S. Administration proposed imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on a new list of $300 billion in Chinese imports. The Administration cited China’s “failure to meaningfully address” problematic intellectual property (IP) practices and its retaliatory responses to U.S. tariffs ...
May 8, 2019, Covington Alert
On May 8, the U.S. Administration confirmed its intent to increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, effective Friday, May 10, 2019, and establish a process for requesting exclusions from these tariffs. As justification for these actions, the Administration cites the “lack of progress in discussions with China” and ...
February 19, 2019, Covington Alert
Late last week, President Trump signed an appropriations bill to keep the government funded. In its Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying this legislation, Congress directed the Trump Administration to establish an exclusion request process for tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports by March 17, 2019, in line with the process provided for prior rounds of ...
December 3, 2018, Covington Alert
On December 1, during a working dinner meeting in Buenos Aires following the G20 Summit, U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to temporarily ease trade tensions as both sides continue negotiating over longer-term solutions to U.S. concerns about bilateral economic relations.
September 18, 2018, Covington Alert
On September 17, 2018, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its final list of approximately $200 billion in Chinese imports subject to an additional ad valorem tariff. The final list, which covers 5,745 product categories, will take effect on September 24, 2018.
August 8, 2018
The Trump Administration has released its final list of approximately $16 billion in Chinese imports that will be subject to an additional 25 percent ad valorem tariff, which will go into effect on August 23, 2018. The Administration has announced that it will provide an opportunity to request that "particular products" subject to the additional duties be ...
July 16, 2018, Global Policy Watch
China has set out on an ambitious agenda of aiming to become the world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. Policy experiments for a critical part of China’s AI development strategy, and to that end multiple government think tanks have set out formulating standards that may impact AI innovation in China. The China Electronics Standardization...… Continue ...
July 16, 2018, Inside Privacy
China has set out on an ambitious agenda of aiming to become the world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. Policy experiments for a critical part of China’s AI development strategy, and to that end multiple government think tanks have set out formulating standards that may impact AI innovation in China. The China Electronics Standardization...… Continue ...
July 16, 2018, Global Policy Watch
Through a newly published foreign investment negative list, the Chinese government is offering incrementally greater market access to foreign investors in China. The 2018 Special Administrative Measures on Access to Foreign Investment (“2018 Foreign Investment Negative List” or “2018 FI Negative list”), issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the National ...
July 11, 2018, Covington Alert
Last night, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) released a new proposed list of $200 billion worth of products from China that could face an additional 10 percent ad valorem tariff. The list covers 6,031 product categories, including a multitude of consumer goods such as luggage, tires, furniture, apparel, mattresses, household goods, components ...
July 10, 2018, Covington Alert
As anticipated, an additional 25 percentage point ad valorem tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports into the United States (covering 818 product categories in sectors including aerospace, information communication technology, machinery, and medical instruments) went into effect on July 6, 2018.
June 15, 2018, Covington Alert
As anticipated, the Trump Administration today released its final list of Chinese imports subject to an additional 25 percent ad valorem tariff. The imposition of the tariffs follows the Administration’s determination in March that China’s technology transfer and intellectual property (“IP”) policies are harming U.S. companies, and the submission of public ...
May 4, 2018, Covington Alert
The Trump Administration’s senior economic and trade officials held talks with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing, May 3-4. The talks concluded with no agreement, and each side tabled expansive demands that appear well beyond what the other side would be able to accept.
April 4, 2018, Covington Alert
On April 3, the Trump Administration proposed a list of approximately 1,300 products originating from China that would bear an additional 25 percent ad valorem import tariff and requested public comments on the list, following the Administration’s determination last month that China’s technology transfer and intellectual property (“IP”) policies are harming U.S. ...
April 3, 2018, Global Policy Watch
The Chinese government has announced that it is raising tariff duties on 128 products imported from the United States into China in retaliation for the Trump Administration’s Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States. The new Chinese tariffs went into effect on April 2. The 128 targeted products fall into...… Continue Reading
March 25, 2018, Inside Privacy
Artificial intelligence promises to be a paradigm shift for many applications from manufacturing to finance, and from defense to education. Given the vast potential, focus on AI has sharpened around the world, including in China. Decision makers in Beijing and around the country are paying attention and have begun shaping a legal and policy regime...… Continue ...
March 22, 2018, Covington Alert
Earlier today, the administration announced its findings that China’s theft of U.S. technologies and intellectual property (“IP”) have caused at least $50 billion in harm to the U.S. economy per year.
March 15, 2018, Global Policy Watch
Following the recent U.S. announcement of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the United States is now poised to implement trade sanctions against China stemming from an investigation of that country’s intellectual property (“IP”) practices. Such sanctions, which could include significant and maybe even ...
March 15, 2018, Covington Alert
Following the recent U.S. announcement of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the United States is now poised to implement trade sanctions against China stemming from an investigation of that country’s intellectual property (“IP”) practices.
November 17, 2017, Global Policy Watch
In the wake of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th Party Congress, and US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, the Ministry of Finance has announced a high-level roadmap for broadening market access for foreign investors in the financial services industry. This policy development, long under discussion, is part of an effort by the Chinese leadership...… ...
August 28, 2017, Global Policy Watch
United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) Robert E. Lighthizer launched an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Section 301”) into acts, policies, and practices of the Chinese government as they relate to “technology transfer, intellectual property [IP], and innovation.” The August 18 announcement of the investigation came just days after ...
China’s State Council Releases Draft Revisions to Process for Formulating Administrative Regulations
August 16, 2017, Global Policy Watch
For years, the foreign business community has called for greater transparency and opportunities to provide more input into China’s legislative and regulatory rule-making processes. In a small step forward, on July 19, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council (“SCLAO”) released draft revisions to the Regulations on Procedures for Formulating ...
July 31, 2017, Global Policy Watch
An updated version of China’s Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign Investment (“Foreign Investment Catalogue,” or “Catalogue”) went into effect on July 28. The Catalogue has been a key tool used by Chinese policymakers to coordinate foreign investment with the country’s economic development plans and industrial policies. Its categorizations are an ...
July 31, 2017, Global Policy Watch
China has put into effect an updated “negative list” for foreign investment in the country’s pilot free trade zones (“FTZs”). Officially named the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Foreign Investment Entry Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) (2017 Version), the FTZ negative list is an important document that lists business sectors in which foreign investment is ...
May 2, 2017, Global Policy Watch
China is embarking on an ambitious effort to develop a new, unified civil code, scheduled for completion by 2020. During this year’s meeting of the National People’s Congress, NPC delegates ratified the General Provisions on the Civil Code (“General Provisions”), China’s first significant step toward establishing a unified legal code on civil affairs in ...
November 8, 2016, Covington Alert
On November 7, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (“NPC”) passed China’s first Cybersecurity Law (the “Law”), which will take effect starting June 1, 2017. Described as China’s “fundamental law” in the area of cybersecurity, the new Law articulates the government’s priorities with respect to “cyberspace sovereignty,” consolidates ...
October 21, 2016, Inside Privacy
China’s top internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”), continues to show interest in setting more stringent rules governing the protection of minors in the context of online activities and data privacy. Immediately prior to the October holiday, CAC released for public comment new draft regulations aimed at protecting minors on the ...
August 12, 2016, Inside Privacy
China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) has released for public comment a draft regulation implementing recent amendments to a consumer protection law that would, among other things, supplement existing privacy obligations for businesses operating in China. The “Regulations on the Implementation of the Law on the Protection of the Rights ...
July 12, 2016, Covington Alert
On July 5, 2016, China’s National People’s Congress (“NPC”) released a new draft of the Cybersecurity Law for public comment (official Chinese version available here; unofficial translation from AmCham China available here). The revised draft contains a number of significant changes from the first draft, which was released in July 2015, but retains many of the ...
July 1, 2016, Inside Privacy
The Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) has issued new rules regulating apps for smartphone/mobile devices, the Rules on the Management of Mobile App Information Services (“App Rules,” available here, preceded by a Q&A section, all in Chinese), that will come into effect on August 1, 2016. The App Rules are aimed primarily at regulating the rapidly...… ...
June 1, 2016, Inside Privacy
This month, China’s National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee (“NISSTC”) organized a meeting to launch a working group tasked with drafting a Personal Information Security Standard (“PIS Standard”). NISSTC is a government committee jointly supervised by the Standardization Administration of China and the Cyberspace Administration of ...
January 5, 2016, Inside Privacy
On December 27, 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislative body, enacted a Counter-Terrorism Law (see the Chinese version here, and an unofficial English translation here), which took effect on January 1, 2016. The adoption of this law, a year after the first draft was released for public comment,...… Continue ...
September 3, 2015, Cov Africa
When China sneezes, does all of Africa catch a cold? Slower Chinese growth and a recently devalued currency will certainly impact Africa, whose largest trading partner is China. However, the impact of China’s recent currency devaluation will largely depend on country-specific factors. The Chinese government likely devalued its currency in August in part to ...
September 1, 2015, Inside Privacy
On August 29, 2015, China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, amended the Criminal Law, effective November 1, 2015. Among other things, the amendments modify and add several provisions related to data privacy and cybersecurity. We discuss some of these key amendments below. Expanded criminal sanctions for illegal sale or provision of personal ...
September 2015, Bloomberg BNA World Data Protection Report
July 13, 2015, Inside Privacy
On July 6, 2015, China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) released a draft of the Network Security Law (“Draft Law,” referred to in some press articles as the draft Cybersecurity Law) for public comment. Comments can be submitted through the NPC website or by mail before August 5, 2015. The release of the Draft Law follows...… Continue Reading
February 5, 2015, Inside Privacy
China’s principal internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”), announced this week that China will move forward new legislation to combat the improper collection, use, and sale of personal information. The new legislation, announced during an interview of a senior CAC official by state-owned Xinhua News, is reportedly being drafted by CAC, ...
Ebola: harnessing the potential of the private sector
December 11, 2014, African Law & Business
Covington's Ashwin Kaja authored this piece on the implications of the Ebola crisis on international businesses: Although headway has been made in curbing the spread of the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, more than 16,000 people to date have contracted the virus and nearly 7,000 have died in what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls the ...
December 11, 2014, African Law & Business
Doing Business in China?
Covington helps clients validate or recalibrate their existing strategies for doing business in and with China.