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Ya LI
Equity Partner / Beijing
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Tel +86-10-59572288
Email liya@zhonglun.com
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Practices

Investment/M&A & Corporate Governance, Private Equity & Investment Funds, Chinese Mainland Capital Markets
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Industries

Telecom & Information, Intelligence Technology & Application
Ya LI
Mr. Li’s practice focuses on cross-border investment, M&A, financing, corporate compliance, and listing. He is well-versed in industries such as private equity, energy and environment protection, high-tech manufacturing, and internet media. He has a diverse clientele, including industrial enterprises such as state- owned enterprises, multinational corporations, and listed companies, as well as asset managers such as venture capital, funds, and trusts.
Mr. Li has garnered multiple awards and recommendations from international industry watchers, including Asia Legal Affairs (ALB), Finance Monthly, and Global Law Expert. He has also been recognized as an Excellent Partner by the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO-ITPO). The clients rated Mr. Li as an experienced and energetic expert and a lawyer with excellent business thinking and work skills.
Mr. Li has a strong international perspective and demonstrates ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable development of the society.
Representative Matters
Advised on the acquisition of 100% equity interest in Intime Department Store by Youngor Group and the management team of Intime Department Store, which involved multiple jurisdictions and approx. CNY 7.4 billion in target asset value
Advised on ChemChina’s acquisition of 100% equity interest in Krauss Maffei Group with a target asset value of approximately EUR 900 million, which involved multiple financing structures and was the then largest China-Germany M&A transaction
Advised China CAMC Engineering (002051.SZ), an A-share listed company, on its investment in Wortel water treatment company and its U.S. subsidiary
Advised Krauss (600579.SH), an A-share listed company, on its acquisition of multinational assets with a total asset value of approximately CNY 10 billion by share swap, which was one of the earliest cross-border share swap transactions in China
Advised on the restructuring of New Classics Media (VIE structure) and its subsequent injection into China Literature Ltd. (00772.HK, a company listed in Hong Kong), which was valued at approximately HKD 15 billion
Advised Tenglong Group on its corporate restructuring and financing, involving the restructuring of over 20 domestic entities and financing of approximately CNY 1.5 billion
Advised Yuzhou Property on its red-chip listing in Hong Kong, Jiangsu Pacific Quartz on its return to A-share listing from a red-chip structure, L’OCCITANE on its Hong Kong IPO, and Zunsion Auto on its NEEQ listing
Advised on Yingmob Interaction’s equity participation in the restructuring of an A-share listed company (300242.SZ), the take-private of Nasdaq-listed Zonen Holding Group, and the VIE restructuring and NEEQ listing of 100E Technology
Advised China Railway Resources Huitong on its USD 500 million public bond offering in Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ENN Energy on its USD 750 million offshore private placement of senior notes, and Baozun on its issuance of senior bonds as a Nasdaq-listed company
Advised Oriental Fortune Link, Shenzhen Capital Group, and SV Investment (South Korea) on the establishment of a QFLP fund in Qianhai — the first joint venture private equity fund between China and South Korea
Advised CSC Group on the establishment of a private equity fund in the UK and its subsequent overseas investments — CSC Group’s first overseas fund setup and investment
Advised JINMAO Capital on its application for a fund management license, establishment of multiple private equity funds, and investments in real estate and high-tech industries
Advised Zhongcai Financial Holding on the establishment and expansion of multiple private equity funds and investments in broadcasting and fisheries
Advised fund managers including Jwin Capital and Oceanpine Capital on fund manager registrations, fund filings, and other fund compliance matters
Advised fund clients on investments in leading high-tech companies such as Baidu, ByteDance, Lakala, Yunji, Origin Quantum, China Energy I&C, Corigine, Power Keeper, Turing Quantum, and Tellhow Software
Advised fund clients on investments in prominent media companies including Bona Film Group, Airmedia, and Hebei Broadcasting
Advised fund clients on investments in urban redevelopment projects such as the Langfang Old City Redevelopment and the Fengtai District Urban Village Redevelopment Project in Beijing
Advised fund clients on investments in the Yangmei Taihua Water Treatment PPP project and the Ezhou Highway PPP project
Advised fund investors on fund subscriptions and investment cashouts
Advised Maersk on its acquisitions of container plants in Dongguan and Qingdao, and establishment of a joint venture logistics company in Suzhou
Advised GTC Group on its establishment of a real estate investment company in China and real estate acquisitions in Hangzhou and Shenyang — one of the few cases involving foreign-invested real estate investment companies
Advised Hitachi Data Systems on its factory setup in Jiangsu, and on land lease and custom-built factory arrangements with property owners
Advised Concordia University (Chicago) on its Sino-foreign cooperative education program with Dalian Maritime Vocational Technical College
Advised Suzlon on the sale of its Tianjin manufacturing subsidiary’s equity and IP licensing to Poly Group
Advised a Chinese state-owned film company on its four-year film slate investment and related film import arrangements with one of the Hollywood Big Six studios, and advised Yongle Films on its co-production investments in Hollywood titles including Brave Little Toaster and Piercing
Advised SpaceTime Studio on its Series A private equity financing, China Youth Times Film & Television on its TV drama financing, and a state-owned film company on priority debt financing for the introduction of Cameron films
Drafted for international hotel management groups, including New World Hotel Group, Guomen Hotel Management and Accor, standardized hotel management agreements for use in China, including management agreements, technical service agreements, and trademark license agreements
Advised domestic real-estate companies and international hotel management companies on over 30 high-end hotel development projects in China, involving international brands (e.g., Aman, Hilton, Crowne Plaza, Four Seasons, Marriott, Kempinski, PORTMAN, Grand Mercure, Mercure, Novotel, Pudi, Sofitel, Marco Polo) and domestic developers (e.g., SOHO China, ARCHINA, Tianrun Land), and including business hotels, serviced apartments and other property types
Advised on the global merger between Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Bank, and the restructuring of GTC Group’s real estate operations in Mainland China and Hong Kong
Provided legislative research services to China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission on health promotion and smoking ban regulations, and provided legal advisory services to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in China on related Chinese legal matters
Represented clients, including Bank of Shanghai, East West Bank, Suzlon and Maersk, in litigations, arbitrations and enforcement proceedings, and represented related rights holders in high-profile disputes involving companies like LeEco, Huaye Capital, Suneee Weilian, and Evergrande Real Estate
Publications
“Private Equity Funds: Investment VAM Terms and Judicial Case Review”, Law Press China, July 2020
“A Research on State-Owned Assets Supervision and Approval Issues Regarding State-Owned Enterprises’ Redemption Obligations under Valuation Adjustment Mechanisms”, Enterprise Management Magazine, November 2022
“Fund Investments Require ‘Risk Mitigation in Advance’”, Legal Person Magazine, November 2022
“A Brief Analysis of the Structure, Validity, and Future of Contractual Control Arrangements”, Beijing Legal Development Series (2019), September 2019
“The Acquisition of KraussMaffei by Sinochem Group: A Case Study of a Chinese Enterprise’s Overseas M&A and the Role of Chinese Counsel”, Selected Cross-Border Legal Cases, February 2018
“Approval Requirements for Equity Transfers in Foreign-Invested Projects: Observations on China’s Foreign Investment Equity Transfer Regulatory Regime through a USD Fund M&A Case”, the 13th Academic Symposium of the Tsinghua University 21st Century Commercial Law Forum, October 2013
“Breaking the Bottleneck of RMB Capital Repatriation”, Legal Person Magazine, March 2012
“A Legal Analysis of Chinese Enterprises’ Fundraising in the Hong Kong Renminbi Bond Market”, Wolters Kluwer, December 2011
“Case Analysis of Minority Shareholder Litigation in the UK: O’Neil and Another v. Phillips and Others”, Selected Cases of the People’s Courts, March 2009
“Improvements and Shortcomings Shareholder Protection: An Evaluation of the New Company Law of the PRC”, LexisNexis, October 2006
Related
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Deals Related
Zhong Lun Assists Hony Green Venture Fund to Lead Investment in Epkeeper's over RMB 100 Million Series B Financing
Acting for Hony Green Venture Fund in this Series B financing, Zhong Lun provided services including legal due diligence, drafting, revising and negotiating transaction documents, as well as assisting in the execution of transaction documentation and project closing.
2023-02-17 -
Events Related
Partner Ya Li Lectured at Special Training Course of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Hubei Province
Recently, Zhong Lun partner Ya Li gave a keynote speech titled.
2023-07-25
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Bar Admissions/Professional Qualifications
Securities Practice Qualification
PRC Bar -
Education
LL.M., Manchester University
J.M., Fudan University
B.A., Lanzhou University -
Professional Experience
Equity partner, non-equity partner, and associate, Zhong Lun Law Firm, 2008 to present
PRC Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Beijing Office, 2007-2008
Associate, Zhong Lun Law Firm, Beijing Office, 2005-2007 -
Languages
Chinese
English
French