Recently, ALB, affiliated to Thomson Reuters, published the list of “2019 ALB China Top 15 Rising Lawyers”. Yao Jian, partner of Jingtian & Gongcheng was among the list.
This ranking, conducted by ALB on the basis of evaluation on the candidates’ significant achievements over the past year, key clients they have served, major transactions they have been involved in, and accolades they have received for their services, is designed to recognize the 15 potential leading figures in Chinese legal profession. Partners Jingtian & Gongcheng, Hu Zhengzheng and Zhang Rongsheng, were ranked for the 2015 and 2017 lists respectively.
After the announcement of the list, Mr. Yao was interviewed by ALB and talked about the opportunities brought by the "Belt and Road Initiative" to the legal service industry. The following is authorized to forward.
ALB：What are your experiences and strengths in overseas investment and cross-border M&A-related legal services?
Yao：I started practicing in 2008, which coincided with not only the economic crisis but also the surge in China’s outward overseas investment brought about by the rising commodity prices. Between 2008 and 2012, I participated in a large number of mines and natural resources investment and M&A deals on behalf of my clients. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, I have been actively helping my clients with their BRI investment project. As a lawyer focused on overseas investment and cross-border M&A, I am fortunate to have followed this outward overseas investment trend from the beginning and accumulated a lot of experience, so I was able to shift my practice focus to the investment in cross-border infrastructure, consumer goods and high-tech industry to serve my clients.
ALB：What are some of the trends in foreign investment and cross-border M&A in the past few years, especially regarding the BRI investment?
Yao：The foreign investment of Chinese enterprises has undergone significant changes after the launch of the BRI. The BRI has brought a large number of capacity cooperation and infrastructure investment projects. The rapid development of China’s economy and consumption has also led to an increase of various types of investment such as those in consumer goods and high-tech. Personally, I have represented state-owned enterprises in investing in large-scale infrastructure projects, production projects, and industrial park projects in BRI countries. Such projects can combine China’s advanced productivity and capital with local markets to promote a win-win situation. I have also represented some companies in the acquisition of overseas consumer goods manufacturers and high-tech research and development companies. Such projects can promote the introduction of overseas products or technologies into the Chinese market, which will enable the company to further develop. Overall, the trend of more substantial overseas investment is fairly obvious.
ALB：You helped set up a business team that specializes in BRI investment. What is the intention of building this team? How do you select team members?
Yao：Overseas investment projects have long project cycle, complex content and involve many jurisdictions and deep participation of lawyers in the project. A larger professional team can form a synergy and bring better overall service to customers, so I helped combine external teams (especially the French-speaking business team) with the firm’s internal resources to form the special BRI legal service team of partners and lawyers. All of them have a comprehensive legal education background, multi-jurisdictional practicing qualifications, solid language skills, and years of experience in overseas investment
