Salans has announced that it intends to double the number of its China-based partners this year. As part of its ambitions to grow its China capabilities, it has promoted its senior associate, Liu Wei, to the position of partner in its Shanghai office.
“Wei’s promotion is part of our ambitious growth plans for China,” explained Dr. Bernd-Uwe Stucken, the firm’s Greater China managing partner. “We intend to double the number of China-based partners this year by internal promotion and lateral hiring. Wei is the first new partner and will be joined soon by others.”
Wei started his career in 1999 and has played a key role in a number of M&A deals, involving foreign acquisitions of existing foreign investment enterprises, private enterprises, state-owned enterprises and listed companies. Wei has also advised clients in FDI projects and joint venture restructurings. He has assisted a European automotive group from the inception of its Chinese activities through to its current dealership network of 15 outlets.
Salans also announced at the end of May that it had advised Chinese real estate developer Euro Asia on its IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange – only the second Chinese IPO in the entry standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Euro Asia is a real estate projects developer which primarily invests in the city of Weifang in Shandong province. The project was overseen in Berlin by Salans’ capital markets team. The firm’s Shanghai office was responsible for due diligence on the Chinese operating companies and for general questions on Chinese law.
In less than two years, Salans’ China practice has grown from one office to three, with over 40 professionals located in and outside China. It has a strong presence among clients from the European continent. The practice includes five German lawyers, who form the largest German legal practice in China.However, the firm is not German, but rather regards itself as international. China Business Law Journal understands that Salans’ largest office is in Paris, and although its only US office, in New York, is relatively small, Americans are the largest national grouping in the firm. The firm has a French chairman based in New York and a Polish global managing partner who is based in Paris.
