Press Room

CBA and DeHeng Law Offices, one of the leading Chinese law firms, entered into an agreement to promote synergies and associations between Chinese and Italian businesses to enhance investments in Italy. An Italian-Chinese task force of fee earners will work on the project in order to monitor their respective markets and create a privileged channel through regular one-to-one meetings with selected Chinese entrepreneurs, for cross-border transactions between Italy and China. In addition, CBA and DeHeng’s arrangements provide for a large number of joint initiatives, among which topic-oriented workshops in their respective countries, including in the scope of Expo 2015. DeHeng, with a workforce of 1,600 lawyers, is the fourth most important Law Firm in China and is endowed with 21 domestic offices, and 5 worldwide, in New York, the Hague, Paris, Brussels and Dubai, the most prominent players of the Chinese economy among its clients, and excellent relationships with government institutions.  Both law firms watch over their respective reference markets through the offices based all over their territories and enabling them to have direct contacts with the business community.

“In the face of a business world developing in accordance with increasingly global patterns, the challenge for legal professions lies in the reorganization of their businesses at worldwide level, still providing high standards of service. In this perspective, we elected to enter into a business combination agreement with our Chinese fellows. In substance, a great deal of transactions are currently under review of international operators, such as the Real Estate area, where extensive interests are awoken by the market growth and the legislative news; the Banking area, where the mix of integration and capitalization processes offer a remarkable opportunity; the debt market with the news on direct lending; the retail market, which is also undergoing a thorough restructuring; the market of applied technologies up to food and fashion. Often, the interests raised do not follow the traditional acquisition patterns, but rather, they become real ‘combinations’ aimed at creating economic value” (Angelo Bonissoni, Managing Partner di CBA).

The agreement is in line with the broader strategy of “One Belt One Road”, which was strongly promoted by the People’s Republic of China, with the aim of increasing infrastructure connections, cultural and economic relationships between China and Europe, and has already given rise to a significant growth of Chinese investments in Italy.