The Chinese market is appealing, but its legal environment is very complicated and full of nooses that await investors. This book intends to provide an in-depth analysis of the legal environment and its hidden risks for foreign investment. It covers two basic investment modes which are green-field and M and A, and almost all concrete legal issues including political risk, tax, land use rights, labor etc. Among them, three chapters focus on the legal system and its risks for the foreign investment in three special industries as private education, water market and insurance. The detailed analysis is based on the newest laws and regulations.

The Chinese market is appealing, but the Chinese legal system is very complicated. A basic understanding of Chinese law is absolutely crucial for companies investing in this fast-growing and potentially huge market. Since China is moving toward a socialist market economy and is increasingly integrated into the world market, some aspects of China's commercial law are different from, while others are moving into line with, those of mature market economies. This book provides an introduction to the Chinese legal system, focusing on laws and regulations on foreign direct investment and highlights recent government policies and measures undertaken to intensify economics reforms so as to meet various challenges arising from China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

China has developed a piecemeal pattern of regulating foreign investment since the end of 1970s. The latest law is the Foreign Investment Law (FIL), which became effective on 1 January 2020. The groundbreaking new FIL is well acknowledged for its promises and affirmations pledged to investors, signalling China’s eagerness to improve its investment environment and regain momentum for investment growth. This book provides an updated and holistic understanding of the key features of the regulatory regime on foreign investment in China with critical analysis of laws and their implementation. It also examines sensitive and complex legal issues relevant to foreign investment beyond the 2020 FIL and new developments on foreign-related dispute settlement. The book uses cases of success and failure to illustrate the nuances and differences between law and practice regarding foreign investment. Considering China’s magnitude in the global economy and the weighty role of the regulatory system on foreign investment in China, this book is of great interest to a wide range of audience including academics in the field of investment law, legal practitioners, policymakers, and master's students in law and in management.

The Chinese market is appealing, but the Chinese legal system is very complicated. A basic understanding of Chinese law is absolutely crucial for companies investing in this fast-growing and potentially huge market. Since China is moving toward a socialist market economy and is increasingly integrated into the world market, some aspects of China's commercial law are different from, while others are moving into line with, those of mature market economies. This book provides an introduction to the Chinese legal system, focusing on laws and regulations on foreign direct investment and highlights recent government policies and measures undertaken to intensify economics reforms so as to meet various challenges arising from China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

Yawen Zheng evaluates China’s foreign investment legal regime’s guiding of its two-way investments towards the country’s development goals: building technological capacity, deepening integration into the global economy, promoting green development, protecting security, and participating in global economic governance and rule-making.

This book provides an original and critical analysis of the most contentious subjects being negotiated in the China–EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). It focuses on the pathway of reforming investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) from both Chinese and European perspectives in the context of the China–EU CAI and beyond. The book is divided into three parts. Part I examines key and controversial issues of the China–EU CAI negotiations, including market access, sustainable development and human rights, as well as comparing distinct features between the China–EU CAI and the China–US BIT. Part II concentrates on the institutional reform of investor-state arbitration with an extensive analysis of the EU’s approach to replacing the private nature of investment arbitration with the public nature of an investment court. Part III addresses the core substantive and procedural issues concerning ISDS, such as the role of domestic courts in investment dispute settlement, the status of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as investors, transparency and the protection of victims in investment dispute resolution. This book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the field of international investment and trade law, particularly investment dispute settlement.

The rapid and continuing development of the Chinese economy and its markets has made business with China an integral component of the strategies of countless foreign companies, regardless of their size or form. However, in order to turn opportunities into successful enterprises, managers need a practical guide on the legal aspects of conducting business in China, and on the strategies for effectively circumventing unnecessary risks while simultaneously using the legal system to strengthen operations and protect interests. This remarkable book provides the necessary insight and guidance to devise a corporate strategy, and to tackle issues relating to common aspects of doing business with Chinese counterparts, investing in a Chinese enterprise, and engaging in business operations there. Drawing on expertise gained during eight years in China serving the legal needs of foreign companies, the author shows how many of the mistakes that foreign companies make can easily be avoided by conducting a proper due diligence and understanding how applicable laws work in practice. He clearly describes the opportunities and pitfalls exposed as a foreign investor engages with such elements of business in China as the following: negotiating a detailed written contract; performing a legal and commercial due diligence on a prospective partner; resolving disputes through negotiation, arbitration or litigation; establishing and enforcing trademarks, patents and other intellectual property rights; investing in China; considering the joint venture structure; expanding through a merger or acquisition; restructuring or liquidating an operation; designing and implementing effective corporate governance; retaining, managing and terminating employees; arranging funds into and out of China; ensuring both tax efficiency and tax compliance; and avoiding criminal liabilities in the course of doing business. Whether seeking to source from China or to establish manufacturing facilities in China to produce for export, to sell products or services on the domestic market, or even just to act as a conduit between China and the outside world, business managers and their counsel from all over the globe and across all industries will benefit enormously from this deeply informed, insightful, and practical guide

This volume examines cutting-edge issues of international investment law and arbitration in interaction with China, the world's second-largest economy.

With his comparative and analytical review of China's treaty policy and practice in international investment law, Vaccaro-Incisa draws the most detailed, comprehensive, effective, and objective work ever published on this subject.

China enjoys the highest level of foreign investment of any country in the world today. Yet, despite substantial liberalization in last decades, investment in China remains tightly circumscribed. For complex reasons stemming from China’s protection of its own internal economy, the government hedges foreign investments, either green field Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) or Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As), with a complex system of laws, regulations and guidelines, bristling with challenges and uncertainties for even the simplest investment or restructurings. This detailed, systematic explanation – by a practicing lawyer with over ten years experience at one of the top law firms in China – provides thorough and up-to-date guidance on the rules and procedures affecting FDI, M&As, and listings in China today. Focusing on such practical matters as key regulations, regulatory requirements, and transactional procedures and structures, the author leads the practitioner through the maze of interconnected national and local authorities, with expert knowledge of when and under what circumstances various rules apply and when they do not as well as practical skills on how to structure a particular deal under current regulations. Included in this superb analysis are detailed descriptions of such factors as the following: • establishment of a new Foreign Invested Enterprise (FIE), including a substantial review of the establishment of both common FIEs (either whole foreign ownership or joint ventures with Chinese parties) and particular FIEs (such as a foreign invested holding company, stock company or partnership); • the cross-border acquisition of a domestic company by foreign investors including the restructuring of existing FIEs by way of domestic re-investment or equity transfer or mergers; • the takeover of a PRC listed company by foreign investors through such ways as a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII/RQFII) or strategic investment; • the acquisition of a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE), either listed or non-listed SOE; • the merger control review and national security review involved in an M&A transaction; and • the Initial Public Offering (IPO), follow-on offerings including private placement on Chinese capital market, as well as the issuance of corporate bonds in China. Since the year 2008 when the first edition was published, lots of significant developments were made in regard to the laws and regulations in FDI, M&As and capital market. Such developments and new regulations are given an up-to-date analysis in this second edition. For law firms advising companies on investing in China, or for in-house counsel, this book is without peer as a comprehensive, reliable and easy-to-use resource. At every stage of a project, from the initial business decision to problems arising after successful start-up and during day-to-day operations, it will provide clear, authoritative guidance for years to come.