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Practice area

Cross-border Business

This area supports clients whose business connects Hunan and the wider world: international trade, foreign investment into China, cross-border transactions, and English-language legal support. The emphasis is on the PRC-law elements of cross-border dealings and on keeping the overall structure coherent across jurisdictions — often in coordination with the client's own foreign counsel. It is a supporting strength that complements the corporate and disputes work above.

What this area covers

  • International trade
  • Foreign investment
  • Cross-border transactions
  • English-language legal support

Common client situations

  • Investing into China, or structuring market entry through a new establishment or an acquisition.
  • Structuring a transaction that involves both PRC and non-PRC parties or assets.
  • Negotiating international trade or commercial arrangements with a PRC element.
  • Aligning PRC documents with agreements governed by foreign law.
  • Needing PRC legal support delivered in English, in coordination with foreign counsel.

Types of assistance

  • Advising on the PRC-law aspects of foreign investment, market entry and cross-border structures.
  • Reviewing how PRC and foreign-law documents interact, and assisting with closing mechanics.
  • Assisting with international trade and cross-border commercial contracts.
  • Coordinating with foreign counsel to keep the overall deal consistent across jurisdictions.
  • Providing English-language explanation of PRC-law issues for foreign clients and in-house counsel.

Practical considerations

  • Governing-law and dispute-resolution choices affect how a cross-border transaction can later be enforced.
  • Currency, remittance and registration steps can influence timing and feasibility.
  • Consistent definitions and obligations across PRC and foreign-law documents reduce the risk of gaps.
  • The available forms and requirements for foreign investment depend on the sector.

Representative matters in this area

  • Inbound Investment. Advised a European agricultural group on its acquisition of a controlling stake in a PRC-listed agricultural technology company, including transaction structuring, legal due diligence and related PRC legal matters.
  • Cross-border Acquisition. Advised a European private equity fund on its acquisition of a PRC chain enterprise, including transaction structuring, legal due diligence and regulatory compliance.
  • Cross-border Financial Institutions. Advised on the regulatory opening-up of China's financial services sector to foreign institutions, including a securities brokerage license granted to a foreign securities institution and the establishment of one of the earliest Sino-foreign securities joint ventures following China's WTO accession, covering regulatory approval and joint-venture structuring.

Representative matters are anonymized and provided for general information only. Past experience does not guarantee any particular outcome.

All 4 matters in this area

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