Deals of the Year 2016

China Business Law Journal’s editorial team reports on outstanding deals and cases in 2016 that saw the most sophisticated efforts by legal counsel

Protectionism seems to be rising on both sides of the North Atlantic, with the jaw-dropping outcomes of the Brexit referendum and US presidential election being the most powerful tremors to shake the global economic landscape in 2016.

The full-fledged influence of so-called anti-globalization has yet to unfold, but some impacts can already be felt. Chinese exporters are being haunted by more trade conflicts, and are expected to suffer more in the near future. Some have handled such disputes quite successfully, such as the Chinese bulldozer manufacturer facing anti-dumping investigations from the Eurasian Economic Union, Jinan Meide Casting answering a charge relating to the dumping of malleable cast-iron pipe fittings before the European Court of First Instance, and Chinese vitamin C manufacturers witnessing the overturning of a judgment finding them liable for violating US price-fixing rules. These cases may give other Chinese companies more knowledge and confidence when venturing onto international trade battlegrounds.

Regardless of external uncertainties, China’s economy still maintained most of its momentum in the past year, and China Business Law Journal still received a huge number of impressive nominations for this year’s awards.