Int'l legal services help enterprises go global

A staff member works at Bengbu Global One Hour Foreign Legal Service Center in Bengbu, East China's Anhui province, Dec 5, 2023. [Xinhua/Guo Chen]

HEFEI -- At a foreign legal service center, Wang Min, an executive director of a law firm, is engaged in a video conference with her peers in Tanzania.

"A local tea beverage company is mulling over whether they want to extend their business overseas, so we are authorized to consult on certain legal issues about investing in African countries," Wang said.

On the other side of the video conference, Tanzanian lawyer Godfrey Joseph Chitawala answered Wang's questions one by one, ranging from foreign company registration to trademark protection requirements in Tanzania and other African countries.

The legal service center, located in the city of Bengbu in East China's Anhui province, was set up by the city's bureau of justice in March of this year. It integrates different types of public legal service resources, including lawyer consultation, foreign notarization, international arbitration, foreign judicial appraisal and foreign financial mediation, to help enterprises with their international business.

"We have connected with many law firms with global resources, and quickly respond to the foreign legal consultation and service needs of enterprises," said Jiang Shaoguang, head of the public legal services department of the bureau, adding that, via the center, local enterprises can get in touch with lawyers from the countries where their business is located, taking as little as one hour.

China's outbound direct investment value in 2022 came in second in the world at 163.12 billion US dollars, accounting for over 10 percent of the global total for seven years in a row, according to a report jointly released by the Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

With the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone in recent years, some companies in Bengbu have gradually begun to seek opportunities overseas.

Official figures show more than 500 companies in Bengbu have a demand for foreign legal services.

In the past, due to the shortage of local professional lawyers and resources related to international legal services, these companies had to pursue overseas legal services in bigger cities, which was both time-consuming and expensive.

Chen Chen, legal affairs manager of a catering company in Bengbu, recalled how they tried to enter the Indonesian market at the end of 2022.

"We badly needed to learn about law and taxation issues in Indonesia and some other countries in Southeast Asia. Without a proper law firm in Bengbu to turn to, we had to find one in Shanghai," Chen said, adding that the consultations took much time and money.

After the foreign legal service center opened, the company had a new option for learning about the details of the overseas business, such as fund preparation, office contracts and employment conditions in Indonesia, according to Zou Hao, a lawyer who provided the legal services for the company.

"In foreign investment, the biggest concern of enterprises is that they are not familiar with the local legal system and related employment system, resulting in a series of difficulties and risks. Now this kind of foreign-related legal service at the doorstep can quickly and efficiently solve their concerns," said Zou.

To date, the foreign legal service center has made available 158 foreign legal services of 15 categories, covering 97 countries and regions. It has served more than 50 companies for their businesses in the United States, France and some Southeast Asian countries.

Ma Rui, head of the justice bureau of Bengbu, said that the foreign legal service center is a bridge between local enterprises, legal talent and global legal resources, which will further improve the level of local foreign-related legal talent and foreign-related legal services.

Ma said the center will open its door to attract more distinct foreign legal services to join and better serve the development of enterprises.

"The level of government legal services should be synchronized with the needs of economic development," he added.

Wang Min, executive director of a law firm, consults a Tanzanian lawyer about legal issues of foreign investment in Tanzania via video link at Bengbu Global One Hour Foreign Legal Service Center in Bengbu, East China's Anhui Province, Dec 5, 2023. [Xinhua/Guo Chen]