In early spring, March, when snowy pear blossoms
filled the sky, the European Chinese Lawyers Association (ECLA) held its Annual
General Meeting and a seminar on the theme of "Legal Challenges for
Chinese Enterprises in Europe in the New Era" from March 9 to 11, 2023 in
Zurich to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the official founding of the
European Chinese Lawyers Association (ACLE).
As a non-profit general welfare organization promoting communication, information sharing and cooperation between Chinese lawyers practicing in Europe, and a platform organization providing excellent Chinese lawyers to Chinese companies investing in Europe, ACLE has attracted more and more lawyers, jurists or legal professionals of Chinese descent or nationality from various European countries to register as members of the Association in recent years, and by the end of 2022, there are nearly a hundred members on the register. The Annual General Meeting was attended by 36 members in Zurich, and a number of members participated in the meeting by delegating their attendance to other members or participating online. The AGM listened to the report of the previous Board of Directors and elected Gu Qun (Sweden), Zhu Yifan (Germany), Shang You (France), Bai Junyi (Italy), Hu Xinyu (France), Zhang Shu (Switzerland), Duan Jing (Netherlands), Zhang Shiyang (Czech Republic) and Xu Jingfu (Spain) to form the new AGM Board of Directors. The new Board also unanimously elected Mr Gu Qun as Chairman of the Association.
As part of the annual conference, a seminar entitled "Legal Challenges for Chinese Enterprises in Europe in the New Era" was organized with a number of legal, corporate and asset management experts with extensive practical experience in the investment, development and management of Chinese enterprises in Europe.
During the seminar,
speakers discussed a wide range of common issues related to investment and
business activities in China and Europe. Among them, topics related to M&A
practices and regulations of Chinese companies in China and Europe,
post-investment integration of M&A, de-investment agreements, legal
compliance practices of companies in Europe, dispute resolution, management and
planning of entrepreneurs' personal assets, etc. were discussed in depth, and
the experts summarized a large number of inspiring and practical suggestions
and insights based on their own working experience.
The successful organization of this seminar helped Association members practicing and working in Europe to enhance their professionalism and broaden their horizons. It also provided valuable experience and inspiration to strengthen cooperation and development between lawyers and businesses, and promoted commercial exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and European lawyers and the business community.
The conference was sponsored and supported by Bär & Karrer, Zhonglun
Law Firm, UBS Switzerland, IPG Howden and Henley & Partners.
Appendix:
"Legal challenges for Chinese companies in Europe in the new era" List of speakers and topics (in order of presentation)
- Urs Kägi, Partner, Bär
& Karrer, Switzerland, "Chinese PIPE Investment in Switzerland".
- Ms Shiyang Zhang,
Lawyer, PRK Partners, Czech Republic, Topic: "Chinese investment and FDI
control in the Czech Republic".
- Ms Chen Qiushuang,
Partner, QS Funds, Topic: "The investment of a Chinese private equity fund
in mergers and acquisitions in Germany".
- Mr. Gong Lefan,
Partner, Zhonglun Law Firm, topic: "Riding the M&A and the PE Fund in
Germany": "Riding the M&A and IPO Trend in China 2023: Executing
Transactions in a Turbulent Market".
- Jeffrey Lee, Senior
Advisor, IPG howden, on "Corporate Succession Planning and Risk
Management".
- Cynthia Wrana, Senior
Advisor, UBS, on wealth management solutions for Chinese customers, covering
the financial needs of individuals, families and businesses. Corporate
financial needs".
- Jacopo Zamboni,
Executive Director, Henley & Partners, on migration trends and mobility
planning for entrepreneurs.
- Jin Zhe (Consultant,
IPG howden Switzerland), Julia Zhao (Senior Consultant, UBS), Jeffrey Lee
(Senior Consultant, IPG howden), Sun Yicheng, (Head of China Affairs, Henley
& Partners), Round table on the theme of life planning for entrepreneurs
and companies: "Life planning for entrepreneurs and succession planning
for internationally oriented Chinese companies".
- Marie-Cristine Kaptan,
Attorney-at-Law, Bär & Karrer, Switzerland, Topic: "ESG compliance
under Swiss law
- Derek Kwan, Client
Investment Specialist, UBS Bank, on "Sustainable investment
- Lukas Beeler, Partner,
Niederer Kraft Frey, Switzerland, on "Arbitration and litigation before
state courts - key considerations from a Swiss perspective".
- Juerg Bloch, Partner,
Niederer Kraft Frey, Switzerland, on "Cross-border disputes and
enforcement - prevention and Swiss particularities". Cross-border disputes
and enforcement - prevention and Swiss particularities
- Alice Meissner,
Partner, MP, Austria, on "ESG-related disputes and the financing of such
disputes".
- Cui Qianglong, Senior
Manager, China Construction Bank Zurich Branch, on "China Construction
Bank's location and services in Switzerland".
- Yu Zhisen, Finance
Director, SBS Ecoclean Group, Germany, on "Post-merger management of
manufacturing companies taken over by Chinese investors in Europe".
- Liang Jian, General
Representative of Fosun Group in Germany, Managing Director of Hauck &
Aufhäuser Bank, Germany, on "Post-merger integration of financial
institutions taken over by Chinese investors in Europe". Investors in
Europe
- Ge Chen, Managing
Director, Air China Suisse, "Air China's Journey in Switzerland".