what we think

On 25 September 2014, R&P managing director Maarten Roos and counsel Robin Tabbers were invited by the EU Chamber of Commerce in Nanjing to speak about corporate structuring in China, and about recent legal developments for foreign business in China.

Maarten Roos started the presentation with a detailed overview of the various possibilities in structuring a business in China, and what are some of the key factors in making an optimum choice. He discussed case studies involving a trading company that wished to expand into manufacturing, a consulting or trading company that wants to expand to other parts of China, how to structure a retail entity, the value of the representative office, and how to compare the Chinese-foreign joint venture with alternatives such as a Variable Interest Entity (VIE) structure and a cooperation agreement.

Robin Tabbers then addressed characteristics of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and what benefits this offers to foreign investors. Finally, Maarten and Robin took questions and discussed some of the latest developments in compliance.

The seminar was attended by an audience representing European multinationals and SME’s based in Nanjing. R&P is grateful for the EU Chamber of Commerce in Nanjing for the opportunity to share its knowledge on the subject, and to learn more of the challenges that EU companies face when operating in Nanjing.

Maarten and Robin both speak to Chambers and other interested audiences on topics related to Chinese law. They also provide a lecture on Chinese business law at Donghua University in Shanghai, and Maarten is a guest lecturer at the Jiaotong University, also on business law.