Hunton Andrews Kurth has actively advised clients in China for almost two decades. Our China practice draws upon the worldwide resources of the firm, with the support of lawyers located in major business centers around the world, and provides legal services to clients conducting business in Asia. Based in Beijing, the firm has provided counsel to US and European companies doing business in China and to Asian companies with investments and alliances throughout the region in connection with a wide range of matters.
Focused Knowledge in Key Disciplines
The significant growth opportunities and primary challenges facing domestic and foreign-owned enterprises in China often are related to a specific set of legal disciplines. With this in mind, our lawyers provide focused guidance in four key areas.
Data Protection and Privacy
As China broadens and strengthens its own technology infrastructure, it is increasingly becoming a center for information-intensive services, product development and outsourcing. Regulators in China and around the world are developing detailed data protection regulatory frameworks and strengthening penalties for violations of privacy rules. In conjunction with the firm's worldwide data privacy practice and the Hunton Andrews Kurth Centre for Information Policy Leadership, the lawyers in the firm's China practice advise on data privacy matters arising in China and other countries throughout Asia. Unlike purely local law firms, which maintain a perspective on the data protection requirements of a single jurisdiction only, we view data protection from the multinational, cross-border perspective of enterprises proposing to collect, process and transfer personal information across borders of multiple jurisdictions in Asia.
Our selected experience includes:
Energy and Infrastructure
The firm’s involvement in the energy industry dates back to 1901 when the firm advised its first electric utility client. Energy remains a cornerstone of the firm's work, with more than 100 lawyers around the world dedicated full time to advising clients on the broad range of their energy-related business strategies. This, coupled with the firm's long history advising on M&A, environmental, finance, regulatory, tax and public-private partnership matters, makes the firm one of the most comprehensive legal service providers to the energy industry today.
The firm’s China practice is characteristic of the strong project development and finance, corporate and commercial practices of the firm. Our Asia-Pacific practice focuses on energy and infrastructure, project development and finance, privatizations, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters. The practice has extensive experience advising on projects involving power generation, conventional fossil, renewable and nuclear, oil and gas, LNG, petrochemical and oil refineries, infrastructure, telecommunications and renewable and alternative energy, including climate change and carbon trading.
Our selected experience includes:
Foreign Direct Investment and Related Corporate Matters
In China, as in most of the world, globalization is a fact of economic life. In addition to the typical hurdles facing cross-border investments or transactions in any part of the world, the government of China has set up often-exacting rules regarding international joint ventures and investments. The lawyers of Hunton Andrews Kurth have extensive experience advising foreign corporations and investors on the creation and operation of cooperative and equity joint ventures, as well as the establishment of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises and alternative structures (including representative offices) and trading companies. We have advised clients operating in industries as diverse as coal mining, computer hardware and software, food products, packaging, paper, pharmaceuticals, power and technology, among other sectors.
Our selected experience includes:
Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures
The prospect of acquiring an existing domestic enterprise that fits a foreign acquirer's business plan remains a principal means of building a presence in the China market. The lawyers in our Beijing office have experience advising on mergers and acquisition transactions in many industry sectors, including the electricity transmission, electricity generation, mining, chemicals, financial, metal processing and personnel recruiting sectors, but also including others. Many of these transactions have been significant, sector-influencing acquisitions.
In addition, our Beijing office has spent substantial time assisting clients in other fields, such as international arbitration and intellectual property-driven transactions.
Our selected experience includes:
One Firm
Hunton Andrews Kurth coordinates a multidisciplinary approach, involving experienced lawyers from all practices of the firm to provide clients with seamless advice and creative solutions to their business needs. This is the key to a decisive difference that the firm offers clients: a "One Firm" philosophy that fosters the coordinated delivery of practical solutions from across multiple teams and offices. Our experienced lawyers practice in key commercial centers and capitals worldwide, offering in-depth knowledge of local, national and regional law and business practices. At the same time, our highly integrated organization and technological infrastructure enable real-time communications between our lawyers and offices, and support rapid deployment of project-focused, global teams as client needs evolve and grow.
Our commitment to client service, wherever our clients do business, has been recognized by numerous legal and industry publications worldwide, including Chambers Global, Chambers Asia-Pacific, Chambers UK, Chambers Latin America, Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation and The Legal 500, as well as numerous regional and local publications in markets around the globe.