Guantao Updates | Guantao Shenzhen Office Relocation Ceremony and Forum on “Legal Challenges and Responses in Cross-Border Development of New-Quality Productive Forces” Successfully Held
On July 16, 2025, Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office relocated to its new premises on the 29th floor of Block B, China Resources Tower in Nanshan District, Shenzhen. To mark the relocation, the Shenzhen Office successfully hosted its first large-scale professional forum — “Empowering New-Quality Productive Forces Across Borders: Legal Challenges and Responses.”
Relocation Ceremony of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office
On the morning of July 16, the Relocation Ceremony of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office was held at its new premises in China Resources Tower. Senior representatives from the All China Lawyers Association, the Nanshan District Justice Bureau of Shenzhen, and the Shenzhen Lawyers Association, along with members of Guantao’s headquarters management team, partners from various offices, clients, partners, and industry peers, gathered to witness this important milestone. Zhang Yuye, lawyer at Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office, served as the host of the ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Huang Yaping, Director of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office, delivered the opening remarks. She reviewed the more than twenty-year development journey of the Shenzhen Office since its establishment in 2003, and extended a warm welcome and sincere appreciation to all attending representatives and guests. She also encouraged all members of the Shenzhen Office to continue leveraging Guantao’s global office network and service platform, with a commitment to building a benchmark law firm in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area distinguished by professionalism and international vision — creating value for clients and contributing to the advancement of the legal profession.
Sheng Leiming, Chair of the Partners’ Meeting of Guantao Law Firm, delivered remarks on behalf of the firm’s headquarters and extended warm congratulations on the relocation of the Shenzhen Office. He noted that this relocation marks an important milestone in the development of the Shenzhen Office and encouraged all colleagues to take this opportunity, at a new starting point, to further strengthen their professional capabilities and service quality, and to achieve continued growth in the years ahead.
Mr. Jin Yong, President of the Office Building Division of CR Mixc Lifestyle, attended the ceremony to deliver congratulatory remarks and presented a special gift to the Shenzhen Office of Guantao Law Firm.
Jenny Cheung, Asia-Pacific Director of Ashurst, and Philip Wong, Managing Partner of Gallant, attended the ceremony and delivered congratulatory remarks.
Zhang Bin, President of the Shenzhen Lawyers Association, attended the ceremony on behalf of the Association, delivered congratulatory remarks, and presented a ceremonial gift. He expressed the Association’s continued support for the growth and development of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office, extending his best wishes for its enduring success and future achievements.
As the celebratory confetti burst into the air, the guests jointly cut the ribbon, marking the official opening of the relocation ceremony and symbolizing a new chapter for Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office as it continues to deepen its presence in the Greater Bay Area and look toward the future.
“Empowering New-Quality Productive Forces Across Borders: Legal Challenges and Responses in Cross-Border Development” Forum
In the afternoon, the “Empowering New-Quality Productive Forces Across Borders: Legal Challenges and Responses in Cross-Border Development” forum—co-hosted by the School of Law of Shenzhen University and Guantao Law Firm, and organized by the Greater Bay Area Academy of Foreign-related Legal Studies and Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office—was successfully held at the new premises of the Shenzhen Office.
Wu Shuang, Partner of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office, served as the moderator of the forum and delivered the opening remarks. Sheng Leiming, Chair of the Hong Kong–Mainland Legal Professionals Association and Chair of the Partners’ Meeting of Guantao Law Firm, and Ma Wenze, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Law at Shenzhen University, each delivered remarks as invited guests.
The forum consisted of two thoughtfully designed segments: guest presentations and a roundtable forum. In the guest presentation segment, several highly influential experts and leading scholars shared insightful perspectives drawn from their extensive practical experience in the field. During the roundtable forum, the moderator engaged in in-depth dialogue with seasoned legal practitioners from diverse practice areas, exploring the latest industry trends and exchanging forward-looking views and practical insights from their respective professional experiences.
1. Guest Presentations
Li Hongjiang, Executive Partner of Guantao Law Firm Beijing Office and Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Committee, delivered a presentation tracing the evolution of the international intellectual property protection regime. Beginning with the background of the Paris Convention and extending to the development of the Hague Agreement, he provided a structured overview of the underlying logic of IP protection in cross-border transactions. Drawing on his extensive practical experience in cross-border matters, he offered an in-depth analysis of risk-mitigation strategies for cross-border IP protection, outlining the essential framework and key considerations for safeguarding intellectual property rights in international transactions.
Wang Maoqi, Associate Professor at the School of Law of Shenzhen University and Deputy Dean of the Greater Bay Area Academy of Foreign-related Legal Studies, offered insights from the perspective of a legal education scholar, elaborating on the mission and responsibilities of law schools in the new era. He emphasized that, against the backdrop of increasingly integrated cross-border development, the cultivation of legal talent must strike a balance between theory and practice to meet the growing complexity of international legal demands. He noted that law schools urgently need to undertake systemic reform in areas such as curriculum design, training mechanisms, and international collaboration. Through the practical testing of cross-border legal work, he stressed, institutions can continuously refine a talent development framework capable of producing high-caliber legal professionals for the new era.
Zheng Zhifan, Partner of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office, delivered an in-depth presentation on cross-border investment structure design, drawing on practical cases from his team’s experience. He began by outlining the overall landscape of China’s outbound investment and briefly analyzing the key challenges faced by Mainland capital when expanding overseas.By comparing the strengths and weaknesses of different structural design approaches, he provided a nuanced explanation of the iterative evolution of cross-border investment structures. In the practical insights segment, he offered a layered analysis of the essential elements of structuring—ranging from strategies for building top-level control systems, to criteria for selecting mid-tier collaboration platforms, and to specific requirements for establishing underlying entities. His presentation comprehensively addressed considerations across tax, foreign exchange, legal compliance, risk management, and dispute resolution, vividly illustrating the complexity and technical depth of cross-border investment structure design.
Sylvia Chi, Partner at Ashurst, delivered a presentation titled “Resolving High-Tech Commercial Disputes in Cross-Jurisdictional Contexts and the Role of AI.” Drawing on her extensive experience in international dispute resolution, she provided a systematic overview of the typical categories and shared characteristics of high-tech commercial disputes.By comparing various dispute resolution mechanisms, she highlighted the distinct advantages of arbitration in addressing such matters. She also incorporated the application and regulation of artificial intelligence into her analytical framework, offering a clear and insightful explanation of how technology can enhance the efficiency and sophistication of dispute resolution in cross-border disputes involving high technical complexity and significant commercial value.Her presentation showcased the cutting-edge integration of law and technology, offering fresh and inspiring perspectives for innovation within the legal industry.
2. Roundtable Forum
The roundtable forum was moderated by Huang Fulong, Executive Director of Guantao Law Firm Shenzhen Office. Li Xiongfeng, Secretary-General of the South China (Hong Kong) International Arbitration Center and Deputy Director of the International Cooperation and Development Department of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration; Han Ting, Chair of the Shenzhen Blue Ocean Center for Legal Fact-Finding and Commercial Mediation; Chen Xiaoya, Director of the Legal Department of TCL Technology Group; Lin Xiguang, Partner of Guantao Law Firm Hong Kong Office; and Chen Qiyuan, Partner of Gallant, joined the panel to discuss the topic of “Pathways for Cross-Border Dispute Resolution.” The panelists engaged in an in-depth dialogue on the design and implementation of dispute resolution clauses in cross-border commercial contexts. Through the exchange of perspectives and analysis of real-world cases, the discussion distilled shared insights on practical approaches in the field. Focusing on key issues such as the selection of dispute resolution mechanisms and the essential elements of clause drafting, the panel offered both theoretical depth and practical guidance, providing enterprises with multidimensional solutions for resolving cross-border disputes.
At the conclusion of the forum, Wu Shuang delivered the closing remarks, expressing sincere appreciation to the speakers and all participants for their valuable insights and engaging contributions.Amid warm applause, the “Empowering New-Quality Productive Forces Across Borders: Legal Challenges and Responses in Cross-Border Development” forum came to a successful close. The discussions continued to resonate beyond the event, leaving the industry with meaningful reflections and forward-looking perspectives.
The forum attracted the participation of industry peers, partners, and client representatives, fully demonstrating Guantao’s commitment to advancing its cross-border legal practice, serving the Greater Bay Area, and embracing development and innovation with professionalism and resolve. The event further enhanced Guantao’s brand influence within the industry.
