Charles Yao

Introduction

Charles Yao serves as a partner at the Beijing headquarters of Jingtian & Gongcheng, bringing with him more than 15 years of experience in the legal profession. His expertise primarily encompasses cross-border, infrastructure, mining and energy, and real estate investments, as well as M&A and corporate capital operations. Throughout his career, he has been associated with several prestigious international and domestic law firms.

Yao has offered expert consultancy services in cross-border investment, M&A and project financing to many large state-owned and private enterprises. His innovative approach to structuring projects, combining legal acumen with business insights, has earned him widespread recognition and respect within the industry.

Yao has been selected as a member of the national talent pool of lawyers specialising in foreign affairs by the Ministry of Justice. He was named one of the 2019 China’s top 15 rising lawyers by Asian Legal Business, recognised as a 2019 clients’ choice lawyer and a 2020 and 2021 notable practitioner in corporate and M&A by Asialaw, a 2021 Asia-Pacific leading lawyer in projects and energy by The Legal 500, the 2022 best energy and infrastructure lawyer by Asian Lawyer, named among the 2023 top 15 foreign-related lawyers by Legal Band, as well as a 2025 recommended lawyer in corporate and M&A in the Chambers Greater China Guide. He has been consistently listed in “The A-List Elite Lawyers” by China Business Law Journal and recognised as a leading lawyer in real estate and construction as well as corporate and M&A by The Legal 500.

Yao was admitted to the PRC and New York Bars, working in both English and Chinese.