China Business Law Journal – February 2025

Reflect and project

“In circumstances where there are political and geopolitical tensions, one predictable aspect is change.” So says John Quinn, executive chairman and founding partner of Quinn Emanuel, when asked about the legal risks of multinational companies caught in the US-China tensions in an exclusive interview with China Business Law Journal.

In our Vantage point article titled Fearless intent, Quinn takes time out from a trip to China to share his outlook on collaborating with Chinese law firms, compliments the performance of a new generation of legal talent in China, and reminisces on key decisions he made over his career that cemented Quin Emanuel as the world’s “most feared” law firm.

“Nobody possesses a crystal ball,” says Quinn. True, but that does not stop legal experts from giving clairvoyance their best try.

In this issue’s Cover story, titled Turning up compliance, general counsel and partners engaged in a great variety of sectors ranging from energy and real estate to pharmaceuticals discuss their hopes, concerns and initiatives for the new year.

Businesses in China do not expect the Year of the Snake to be any less uncertain than its predecessor, with conflicts and geopolitical tensions likely continuing to plague global trade prospects. However, the show must go on, and the need for outbound ventures is simply too strong for companies to wait for the world economic conditions to normalise again.

Perhaps as a sign of the unpredictability of our times is that compliance, traditionally seen as a fortification or line of defence for corporate operations, is increasingly recognised by the legal community and beyond to be a solution for, and even driver of, growth.

As we keep our vigil for what is to come, it is equally important to look back once in a while and remember the steps we took that led us here.

What comes first to your mind when talking about 2024? Is it the legislative bombshell in the form of the new Company Law? The US presidential election, with its theatrics matched only by its concomitant divisiveness? Or the China-US race for technological supremacy that culminated in humanoid robots performing the yangge folk dance at the Spring Festival Gala?

For lawyers, the years past are marked by the major transactions they facilitated, the deals they helped broker, and the disputes on which they advised. In Deals of the Year 2024, we have compiled, after extensive market research, a dazzling collection of China-related listings, financings, mergers, bankruptcies and disputes.

The winning deals are selected for their size, significance, innovation or complexity. We heartily congratulate all the law firms that participated in the winning deals.