The Legal 500

Jun He Law Offices’ team, led by ‘the consummate practitioner’ Yuan Jianan and Wang Jiangang, acted in connection with the Beijing Nangong waste incineration plant, the advice involving the drafting and amendment of tendering documents and the evaluation of bids and the negotiation of contracts. George Zhu is a key contact.

King & Wood’s Jing Gang advised Winsway Coking Coal Holdings on its listing on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and Susan Ning acted for Rio Tinto on the antitrust aspects of its sale of a portion of an equity interest in a Simandou iron ore mining project in Guinea to the Aluminum Corporation of China. Li Jinnan is a project finance specialist.

Global Law Office’s Xin Zhang is highly praised by clients. Zhang advised AES in the acquisition of five hydroelectric plants located in Sichuan and Chongqing from Chongqing Energy Investment Group. Wang Zhongcheng acted in relation to Sinochem Oil’s fuel depots construction projects and acquisitions in provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Liaoning. The practice also advised in connection with the construction of the new secondary Beijing airport. Cheong Ming Investments and Sinobo Land Holding are also clients.

Grandall Law Firm has advised on projects relating to highways, ports, bridges, water, wastewater, and telecommunications. The practice frequently acts for China’s major oil and gas concerns both domestically and abroad. It also represents some of China’s, and the world’s, largest mining groups, domestically and internationally. Beijing managing partner Weidong Wang is the principal contact.

Guantao Law Firm acted in relation to the acquisition by Tidetime Sun, principally engaged in media-related businesses, of three coal mines in Xinjiang for HK$7.8bn, the deal expected to allow Tidetime Sun to expand into the PRC’s coal mining, coking coal process and sale business. The practice also assisted CGNPC in its £756m bid for Kalahari Minerals. Xiao Hongming heads the team.

Run Ming Law Office’s former executive partner Gavin Wang departed for Jun He Law Offices. The practice represented a Philippines investor in connection with the GNPower Marivels project, marking the largest greenfield power project in the past decade in the Philippines, and the first overseas power project financed without recourse by China Development Bank and China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation, as well as being funded by loan facilities from domestic and overseas banks in the Philippines. Executive partner Liu Yi is recommended.

Zhong Lun Law Firm’s ‘excellent and talented lawyer’ Shirley Xu is recommended for project finance matters; Hui Sun is noted for infrastructure and public utility matters. Dongyue Chen advised a leading French energy group on its gas supply projects in Xi’an and Jilin.

Allen & Overy LLP ‘has significant China and industry depth’. The practice acted for China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation on the Sasan power project, a landmark financing of an Indian UMPP by Chinese banks. It also advised the Export-Import Bank of China on a Bahamas resort project, considered to be the most important resort development in the Caribbean region in recent years. Based in the Hong Kong and Beijing offices, Joseph Tse is the senior partner for Greater China. Beijing-based PRC energy head Matthias Voss has ‘strong sector knowledge’, and Yvonne Ho is experienced in a range of finance transactions. Also in Beijing, Cindy Lo was promoted to counsel. Lo regularly advises Chinese and foreign banks on outbound and cross-border financings. Shanghai-based counsel Matthew Bisley is experienced in energy finance transactions. Bisley ‘has the ability to communicate and put forward constructive advice’.

Baker & McKenzie’s highlights included advising Disney on its joint venture with a state-owned company, specifically established for the Shanghai Disneyland project, and as project counsel for the planned development of the Shanghai Disneyland theme park, one of the largest ever foreign investment projects in Shanghai. The team also acted for CNOOC International on the $7.06bn acquisition by Bridas Corporation of BP’s 60% interest in Pan American Energy, and assisted Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation in respect of its public private partnership investment in the Beijing Metro Line 4 project. In Beijing, Stanley Jia, Barbara Li and Bee Chun Boo are recommended. Shanghai partner Danian Zhang. David Smith, Barry Cheng and Won Lee in Hong Kong are also key contacts. Special counsel Pett Yap relocated to Shanghai from Hong Kong. Yap focuses on major projects, construction and power.

In Beijing, Clifford Chance LLP’s Bruce Schulberg has extensive experience in project financing, commercial projects work, syndicated financing and NPL-related matters. Key recent matters included advising Chinalco on its proposed $19.5bn strategic partnership with the Rio Tinto group which, if completed, would have been the largest outbound investment ever undertaken by a Chinese company.

Herbert Smith LLP ‘provides quality advice in a timely manner and is always well-versed on the specific issues and commercial drivers of a project’. The practice acted for CNOOC on sales and purchase agreements to acquire Tullow’s one-third interest in exploration areas 1, 2 and 3A in Uganda. Sinopec was represented as international counsel on its investment in the APLNG project in Australia, the transaction marking another significant Chinese investment in an East Coast Australian coal-seam gas-to-LNG project. Hong Kong-based energy expert Anna Howell is ‘a respected and experienced lawyer’. Also in Hong Kong, projects specialist Alexander Aitken is recommended.

Linklaters recently relocated oil and gas expert James Douglass to Beijing. Highlights included acting for a group of five lenders on a project finance basis, that represented these banks’ first limited resource project financing in India. In natural resources, the practice advised in connection with Minmetals Resources’ unsolicited $6.5bn cash offer for Equinox Minerals. On the infrastructure side, the team acted in connection with the Project Baha Mar $3.5bn casino resort project financing, the first truly limited recourse project financing wholly provided by PRC lenders. In Hong Kong, Stuart Salt co-heads the global energy group, Christopher Kelly is experienced in both listings and M&A deals in the mining sector, Trevor Clark is a project finance specialist, and Robert Cleaver specialises in equity offerings and M&A transactions. In Beijing, Thomas Ng is noted for projects, energy and outbound transactions for Chinese corporations and banks. Hong Kong banking and finance specialist David Irvine is a key contact for infrastructure matters.

Shearman & Sterling LLP has increasingly represented Chinese financial institutions in their outbound forays into overseas projects. The practice represented General Moly in the development and financing of a mine project in Denver, financed by China Development Bank and China Exim. It also assisted EAP Management Consulting (Nanjing) in respect of tolling arrangements for the LNG receiving terminal located in the Jiangsu province, including the first LNG tolling agreement in the PRC. Shanghai office managing partner Andrew Ruff is experienced in Chinese project financing covering infrastructure projects, M&A and direct investment. Hong Kong-based counsel Nick Wang is known for project financing.

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. remains involved in high-value oil and gas transactions, as well as complex cross-border energy matters globally. The team represented Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration & Production Corporation in its $7.1bn investment in Repsol Brasil, the transaction representing the second largest overseas acquisition ever by a Chinese company in the energy and natural resources sector. The Greater China practice team is also experienced in projects and infrastructure, and EPC-related matters for regional and foreign direct investment projects. Beijing managing partner Paul Deemer, China practice managing partner for Beijing and Hong Kong Xiao Yong, and Shanghai and Beijing managing partner David Blumental are key figures. In Hong Kong, Gary Kotara and managing partner Jay Cuclis are energy law specialists. Jay Kolb in Shanghai joined from an independent company dedicated to developing and operating LNG import and regasification terminals, and Rob Patterson in Beijing formerly served as co-managing partner in the firm’s Moscow office.

White & Case LLP represented China Development Bank Corporation on two loans, together valued at over $20bn, to Venezuela’s Banco de Desarrollo Económico y Social de Venezuela, marking one of the largest that CDB has extended to any one country or lender. The practice also acted for a PRC state-owned oil company in connection with the acquisition of a project in Russia, including the acquisition of gas fields. Beijing-based Xiaoming Li and Steve Payne are recommended. In Hong Kong, Hallam Chow is a key contact.

Allens Arthur Robinson acted for Rio Tinto in relation to Chalco’s acquisition of a 44.65% interest in the Simandou iron ore project. The team also assisted on the establishment of AusChina Energy Group, a renewable energy joint venture between two of China’s largest state-owned renewable energy businesses. In Beijing, Frank Fan and Shanghai-based Ross Keene are respected practitioners.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Hong Kong office supports the offices in Beijing and Shanghai on project financings and infrastructure transactions, the practice covering sectors such as oil and gas, water, electricity, mining, and renewable energy, as well as the development of airports, roads, tunnels, railways and ports. The team advised AES as developer in relation to the EPC contracts for a coal-fired power project in Vietnam. Hong Kong partners David Winfield and Andrew Heathcote are recommended.

Consisting of two partners who are supported by four associates, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP’s group in Hong Kong and Beijing is a prominent practice in the energy and natural resources fields, covering energy projects and M&A across Asia and outbound from Asia. The team advised an international oil company in matters relating to its gas discoveries in the South China Sea. The energy practice is led by Hong Kong and Beijing-based Stefan Ricketts. Oil and gas expert Ben Smith is ‘an experienced and capable lawyer’.

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. acted for Michelin in relation to the construction of its new manufacturing plant in China and successfully tendered to become a legal advisor to TOTAL in relation to its €2bn-plus plus project with China Power Investment to build and operate a coal-based polyolefin plant in Inner Mongolia. Investment bank Lazard recruited the firm’s former Beijing office head Yan Lan. In Beijing, Warren Hua is a key contact.

Hogan Lovells International LLP advised Petroleos de Venezuela and the Ministry of Finance of Venezuela in the landmark $20bn financing of infrastructure and social projects in Venezuela, the largest Chinese financing in Latin America. Shanghai and Beijing-based Steven Robinson, Beijing partners Jun Wei and Roy Zou are recommended. Consultant Terence Wong, in Shanghai, is also an experienced lawyer.

Jones Day is ‘fantastic for any company doing business in China which needs authoritative, pragmatic and technically impeccable advice delivered on a very responsive basis’. Beijing partner Ashley Howlett and Hong Kong-based Michael Arruda head a construction and energy practice which focuses on projects and disputes in China and Hong Kong on behalf of US, European and Asian manufacturing and industrial companies, engineers and contractors. Clients comment that the firm is strong on the construction and infrastructure side, but has a lesser profile for energy work. A growing part of the practice is the representation of Chinese contractors undertaking projects in Africa, South America, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia. Howett is ‘a technically brilliant lawyer who can magic up a work-around for almost any legal obstacle’. The team represented SanDisk Corporation in relation to the procurement of an extension to its existing flash memory production in Shanghai, and acted for Novartis with procurement strategy and regulatory issues in relation to its new state-of-the-art research and development campus in Shanghai.

Latham & Watkins LLP has Hong Kong-based US and English law-qualified project finance lawyers. Joseph Bevash is noted for his project finance expertise within the oil and gas, power and mining, and infrastructure sectors. Project finance expert David Miles oversees the firm’s English law practice in Asia.

Mallesons Stephen Jaques has acted for numerous Asian and Australian corporations in the energy and natural resources sector and co-ordinated transactions across multiple jurisdictions. In Beijing, Nicolas Groffman acted for CSIRO on its partnering with China United Coalbed Methane Corporation on a joint demonstration project that will store 2000 tonnes of carbon dioxide underground in the Shanxi Province and extract methane for use as an energy source. Also in Beijing, David Olsson advised a provider of LNG vehicle and storage tanks on a proposed joint venture in Heilongjiang, and chief representative of the Beijing office John Shi assisted Sinochem with the acquisition of multi-national oil company with assets in the UK, Africa and Australia.

Pinsent Masons continues to advise a large client base of contractors on projects and energy-related matters. Leveraging on its wealth of experience through the relocation of PPP specialists to Asia and China from the UK, the firm secured instructions from Chinese clients in relation to projects outside China that are to be procured following a PPP model. The practice also handled a number of nuclear energy matters. It advised China Harbour Engineering Company on its participation in the tender for the single largest infrastructure project to take place in Mauritius. John Bishop is a Hong Kong-based projects specialist. Hew Kian Heong heads the Shanghai office, and Gregory Jones relocated from the Birmingham office to Beijing.

Baker Botts L.L.P. welcomed infrastructure project finance partner Jeff Layman from Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy’s Beijing office, and corporate and finance partner Wei Min Zhang from Deacons’s Beijing office. The firm advised Sinochem in its successful bid for a stake in the Statoil offshore Peregrino oilfield development in Brazil, and the practice continues to act for Liberty Global, the world’s largest international cable operator, on its matters in China. Partner-in-charge of the Beijing and Hong Kong offices John Kuzmik is recommended.

DLA Piper welcomed Shanghai-based energy and infrastructure head Wan Li from Minter Ellison in early 2010. Recently, the team advised Sinom on the sale of 60% equity interests in Asia Iron to Chongqing Chonggang Minerals Development. Beijing-based corporate head Steven Liu and partner Chris Terry are key figures.

Deacons has a long history of handling major projects in China, and is noted for its advice in the water treatment facilities and clean development mechanism sectors. Hong Kong-based Edwarde Webre and Machiuanna Chu are key contacts. Hong Kong and Beijing-based Franki Cheung is also recommended.

Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP is noted for its advice to Chinese companies in large and complex outbound M&A transactions, particularly in the energy sector, and for assisting state-owned companies making strategic investments into Africa. Highlights included advising United Energy Group in a proposed agreement to acquire all of BP’s upstream oil and gas properties in Pakistan for $775m, the acquisition notable because the client was the first Chinese energy company not owned by the state to have made a major acquisition outside China. Beijing-based Dirk Walker is recommended.

Mayer Brown JSM’s Beijing-based projects head Xiang Yang Ge is focused on the oil and gas industry, as well as the mining, renewable energy, climate change and environmental sectors. The team represented a major Chinese mining company in its proposed acquisition of an Australian public company. In Hong Kong, Kevin Owen advises on procurement methods for large-scale infrastructure projects.

Norton Rose LLP’s 2010 merger with Deacons Australia saw the securing of mandates in China/Australia cross-border project finance transactions, particularly in the mining space. Key matters included advising Challenger Emerging Markets Infrastructure Fund on its RMB238m acquisition of a 40% interest in six raw water, water supply and wastewater treatment plants. In Beijing, Tom Luckock and Wang Yi are recommended. Oil and gas projects of counsel Fei Kwok joined the Shanghai office from Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Simmons & Simmons’ key mandates included advising China Telecom on co-location and landing party arrangements in relation to an 8,300km subsea cable system owned by the SJC consortium. Asia projects head Brian Downie, and energy and infrastructure leader Tom Deegan are recommended. Damien Bailey advises on large infrastructure projects, and Richard McKeown is a project finance specialist. Michael Hickman is a senior counsel in Shanghai. Davis Wang is also a key contact.