China

Paul, Weiss has maintained one of the strongest China practices among international law firms since the beginning of the period of economic openness and reform. In 1981, Paul, Weiss became one of the first foreign firms to establish an office in Beijing. The firm first opened an office in Hong Kong in 1984, and in 1998 the Hong Kong office was qualified and registered as a Hong Kong law firm, enabling us to advise on Hong Kong law matters. In the years subsequent, the firm has assembled a multinational team of Western-trained, Chinese-speaking attorneys with expertise in Chinese law and international business transactions and close involvement in numerous precedent-setting foreign investment transactions in the PRC. The firm's China group includes lawyers of Chinese descent who are fluent in Cantonese and Shanghainese as well as Mandarin. The group is also fully proficient in written Chinese and drafts legal documents in both Chinese and English. The firm has an extensive collection of precedents and standard form documents, in Chinese and English, for use in China-related transactions and accordingly is able to prepare documents efficiently in both languages to serve client needs.

For more than two decades, Paul, Weiss has been a leader in almost every kind of transaction and in every sector in China. We have been very active in foreign direct investment and M&A, including the establishment of, or transactions concerning, foreign-invested companies limited by shares (with or without listed shares), investment holding companies and offshore investment structures for China assets. The firm has also drawn upon its expertise to play an active role in novel financing transactions as Chinese enterprises and projects are increasingly seeking access to international capital markets. This has resulted in Paul, Weiss being a leader in capital markets, project finance and private equity transactions in China.

Over the years, Paul, Weiss has been a market leader in industry surveys and has earned the following recognition:

top three in"Best Law Firm (Transactions) In Asia" category in Private Equity International magazine’s Private Equity International Awards 2009
a "Tier 1" recommended firm for private equity in Asia-Pacific and Hong Kong by IFLR 1000 Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms, 2010 editions
a "Band 1" leading firm for private equity in Asia and China/Hong Kong and for TMT in three categories: China-foreign firm, information technology and telecommunications & broadcasting in China/Hong Kong by Chambers Asia 2010
a top-tier "Leading firm" for private equity in China by the PLC Cross-border Private Equity Handbook 2010 edition
a top-tier "Leading" firm for Telecommunications in China by Practical Law Company in 2010
a "Tier 1" foreign firm for private equity/ venture capital and TMT in China by Asia Pacific Legal 500 2009/2010 edition
a "Leading Private Equity & Venture Capital Firm: Asia" in 2009 by Asian Legal Business
a "Band 1" leading firm for M&A & private equity in Asia by Chambers Global 2009
winner of Asian-Counsel's "TMT Firm of the Year 2009"
voted a "Headline Transaction Leader - International Firm" by Asian Legal Business' Leading M&A Firms survey 2009
winner for the eighth time of the "IT/Telecommunications Law Firm of the Year" by Asian Legal Business at the 2008 ALB Hong Kong Law Awards
winner of China Law & Practice's "Private Equity Deal of the Year" award at the China Law & Practice Awards 2008
winner of International Financial Law Review's "Private Equity Team of the Year", "Private Equity Deal of the Year" and "M&A Deal of the Year" award at the IFLR Asian Awards 2008
a "Band 1" firm for TMT: Foreign in China/Hong Kong by Chambers Global 2008
winner of the "Project Finance Deal of the Year" award at IFLR’s Asia Awards 2009 for our involvement in the Sumitomo's Tanjung Jati B Transaction
winner of “SE Asia M&A Deal of the Year 2008” and “SE Asia Deal of the Year 2008” at the 2008 ALB South-East Asia Law Awards for our involvement in the Vodafone-Hutchison Essar deal
winner of "M&A Deal of the Year" by International Financial Law Review at the IFLR Asian Awards 2008 and "Deal of the Year 2007" by Asian-Counsel for our involvement in the Citibank's acquisition of Nikko Cordial Securities
winner of "Private Equity Deal of the Year" at the China Law & Practice Awards 2008 and "China Loan Deal of the Year 2007" by IFLR Asia for our involvement in the KKR Asia in Tianrui Group Cement Company Limited deal

Paul, Weiss represents numerous leading multinational companies from the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, as well as Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries, in their China-related matters, which include:

private equity transactions representing buyout and investment firms, including general partners, limited partners, co-investors and other equity stakeholders, as well as private companies, portfolio companies, lenders and financial sponsor groups;
mergers and acquisitions involving Chinese, foreign and foreign-invested enterprises;
establishment of foreign invested enterprises, including equity and cooperative joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and holding companies;
representation of investment funds and asset management companies in public and private securities offerings and direct investment activities in China;
representation of Chinese enterprises investing in the United States and elsewhere outside of China;
project finance, including representation of developers, lenders, investors and financial advisers in power, telecommunications, oil and gas, and other infrastructure projects;
representation of underwriters, issuers and controlling shareholders in offerings of equity and debt securities and other capital markets activities, including "N", "H" and "B" share listings, and Rule 144A offerings;
real estate development and construction contracts;
lending to Chinese domestic and foreign-invested enterprises;
technology transfer and other licensing arrangements;
protection of intellectual property, including trademark, patent, copyright and unfair competition matters;
sales, agency and distribution contracts;
establishment of representative offices;
representation of foreign banks and other financial institutions in their activities in China;
representation of banks arranging commercial paper programs of Chinese issuers in the U.S.;
tax planning for foreign companies and foreign-invested enterprises;
dispute resolution in the United States and China (both CIETAC and PRC local arbitration), including arbitration and informal settlement as well as cooperation with Chinese counsel in sophisticated PRC litigation; and
petroleum and mineral exploration and development, "midstream" pipeline construction, operation and financing projects and "downstream" manufacturing and marketing activities.

Paul, Weiss has been involved in transactions in a variety of industries throughout China. Such industries include communications (including telecommunications, Internet, broadcast and other media), entertainment, power, aviation, property development, petroleum, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, computer, consumer goods and machinery. We also have extensive experience and contacts in areas of active foreign investment interest such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing, Nanjing, Guangdong, Suzhou, Xiamen, Shandong and Chongqing. Where necessary, the firm works closely with qualified PRC counsel throughout China.

The Paul, Weiss China practice is staffed principally by lawyers in the firm's Beijing, Hong Kong and New York offices, with support from the firm's Washington and Tokyo offices. The offices are closely linked by advanced telecommunications and computer networking facilities, allowing the firm to draw efficiently upon resources in all of these locations and to provide an "around the clock" service to clients. The firm has full Chinese language document translation and Chinese word processing capabilities in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York, as well as one of the largest libraries of Chinese law materials outside of a university.

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