Southeast Asia Investment Seminar: Seizing the “China+1” Edge in a New US–China Tariff Cycle (Changzhou / Wuxi)

With Donald Trump back in the White House, the US has set out sharply higher tariffs on goods from around the world. Talks between the two sides are read as a positive signal for the global economy, yet the deeper trade differences remain unresolved — and the friction, even outright confrontation, threatens to break up the established order of global supply chains, pushing more companies to accelerate their “China+1” deployment.

As the most representative region for the “+1” strategy, Southeast Asia is fast becoming a key new base for Chinese manufacturing, export businesses and cross-border e-commerce. To help companies approach the region methodically and navigate the compliance challenges of overseas investment, KPMG China — together with KPMG Vietnam and a group of firms with years of on-the-ground Southeast Asia experience: Chuhai Group, CM1 GROUP, Xingye CPA (Singapore) and Core5 (industrial real estate) — held a “Southeast Asia Investment Seminar” series across Changzhou and Wuxi in August 2025, focused on practical execution and risk countermeasures.

CM1 GROUP took part as one of the co-organizing institutions, with Senior Manager Xue Yuan, of its Corporate Division, presenting on Indonesia’s investment window in the context of US–China trade.

Why Southeast Asia

The deeper US–China trade differences will not close quickly, and the “de-concentration” of supply chains has become an irreversible trend. With its location, cost advantages and young labor force, Southeast Asia has emerged as the destination of choice for relocated Chinese capacity: Vietnam continues to draw foreign investment in manufacturing and export processing, while Indonesia offers a complementary draw in its vast domestic market and resource base.

But going global is not a simple relocation of capacity. Tax regimes, foreign-investment access, land and factory construction, labor and compliance all differ markedly from the picture at home — and only by understanding them early and planning prudently can a company land on solid ground. These practical questions and risk countermeasures were the focus of the seminar.

Agenda highlights

The seminar ran in both Changzhou and Wuxi with the same core agenda, as speakers shared from tax, industrial, financial and on-the-ground angles:

• Fang Kun, Director, KPMG Vietnam — Vietnam’s investment advantages under “reciprocal tariffs”
• Tiffany Fan (范秋妆), Senior Manager, Core5 Vietnam — the investment environment and potential of northern Vietnam: the latest developments and opportunities for foreign manufacturers eyeing Vietnam as a strategic destination
• Li Donglie, General Manager, Hanmi Global Engineering Consulting (Shanghai) — project-management services for companies investing in Vietnam
• Jiang Wei, General Manager, Business Department, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Ho Chi Minh City Branch — Vietnam’s economy, business environment and financial-services landscape
• Shan Wenrong, Senior Partner, Xingye CPA (Singapore) — Singapore’s investment advantages and overseas equity-structure design
• Xue Yuan, Senior Manager, Corporate Division, CM1 GROUP — hedging and growth in tandem: Indonesia’s investment window in the context of US–China trade
• Niu Qiang, Chairman, Chuhai Group — site-selection risks and adjustments for building factories in Vietnam

Participating institutions

KPMG Vietnam — as one of the Big Four, KPMG has built teams in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other major Vietnamese cities dedicated to serving Chinese companies on the ground: Mandarin-speaking colleagues alongside local industry, tax and finance specialists who understand Chinese companies’ needs and ways of working.

Chuhai Group — a one-stop outbound-investment platform founded by Yueyang Business Consulting (Shenzhen). Drawing on its parent company’s local Vietnam brand “Yueqibao” and more than a decade of factory-landing experience plus a dedicated industrial-real-estate team, it integrates resources across the sector to help clients lower investment risk, improve efficiency and build sustainable overseas operations.

Core5 Vietnam (industrial real estate) — Senior Investment Manager Tiffany Fan (范秋妆) has over seven years in Vietnam’s industrial-real-estate sector, having served as Director of Investment & Business Development at Emergent Vietnam and head of EU/US-market sales for the DEEP C industrial zones, and worked on the VSIP Binh Duong ready-built-factory project covering the Hai Phong area. She has long supported foreign manufacturers across industries with site selection and landing, lived and worked in Singapore, the UK and Australia for a decade, and holds a Master’s in International Business Management from Deakin University, Australia.

Xingye CPA (Singapore) — established by Hong Kong and Singapore teams of accountants, lawyers and banking advisers with a focus on outbound-investment services. With offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao and Dalian, it provides overseas company registration, VIE structuring, ODI outbound investment, Singapore headquarters planning and tax planning.

CM1 GROUP — Singapore-headquartered, with an in-house accounting practice and licenses spanning human resources, corporate secretarial, and trust/corporate-service-provider work. Its business covers international tax and finance, trusts, identity planning and overseas education, with related legal matters advanced in coordination with licensed law firms. The group’s network spans Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China, Canada, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, and its advisers include former directors of Big Four firms and partners from leading law firms. CM1 GROUP combines global tax, finance and legal advisory experience with a broad resource network to deliver an integrated service framework.

CM1 GROUP: a focus on Indonesia’s investment window

As a Singapore-headquartered firm, CM1 GROUP turned the spotlight to Indonesia — reading its investment window through the twin lenses of hedging and growth amid the US–China trade landscape. Beyond market potential and resource endowment, the session stressed that companies should weigh their own industrial profile and plan carefully around investment structure and compliant on-the-ground execution.

CM1 GROUP will continue to work alongside partners across the field to support Chinese companies’ Southeast Asian and global footprints — with expertise in corporate structuring, investment landing and cross-border allocation, and coordinating with licensed professional firms on the related legal and tax arrangements — so that companies can open overseas markets on solid ground.

Event details

Changzhou

Friday, 22 Aug 2025 · 13:30–17:30 · Changzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone Conference Center

Wuxi

Monday, 25 Aug 2025 · 13:30–17:30 · KPMG Wuxi office

Host

KPMG China × KPMG Vietnam

Co-organizers

Chuhai Group · CM1 GROUP · Xingye CPA (Singapore) · Core5

Audience

Founders, executives, finance and marketing leads with trade / outbound needs (≈50–70)

Language

Mandarin

Speakers

• 
  Fang Kun

  Director, KPMG Vietnam

• 
  Tiffany Fan

  Senior Manager, Core5 Vietnam

• Li Donglie

  General Manager, Hanmi Global Engineering Consulting (Shanghai)

• Jiang Wei

  General Manager, Business Dept., Bank of China (Hong Kong), Ho Chi Minh City Branch

• 
  Shan Wenrong

  Senior Partner, Xingye CPA (Singapore)

• 
  Xue YuanCM1

  Senior Manager, Corporate Division, CM1 GROUP (Indonesia)

• 
  Niu Qiang

  Chairman, Chuhai Group