The seminar on Investment in Countries along the Belt and Road-Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines has come to the third stop in Guangzhou on 19 April 2018.The seminar was hosted by “the Belt and Road” Legal Research Center of Guangdong Lawyers Association and “the Belt and Road” Professional Committee of Guangzhou Lawyers Association, organized by Yang & Lin Co Law Firm, co-organized by Maritime Committee of Guangdong Lawyers Association and Overseas Returnee Fellowship Center of Guangzhou Lawyers Association. Present at the seminar were Liang Zhen, vice president of Guangdong Provincial Justice Department, Tan Xiangping, vice president of Guangzhou Justice Bureau, Chen Fang, vice president of Guangdong Lawyers Association, Ye Gang, secretary general of Guangdong Lawyers Association, Yang Yunfu, director of The Maritime Committee of Guangdong Lawyers Association, Bi Yalin, vice director of Guangzhou Lawyers Association, lawyers and entrepreneurs from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Guangdong. More than 100 attendees were attracted to the senminar. Lin Cuizhu, the project leader of “the Belt and Road” Legal Research Center of Guangdong Lawyers Association and Xian Yifan, committee member of  “the Belt and Road” Professional Committee of Guangzhou Lawyers Association presided over the seminar.

     Mr. Liang Zhen said in his speech that the Guangdong Provincial Judicial Department paid great attention to foreign-related legal services. Since 2017, the Provincial Judicial Department and relevant departments and units have jointly issued the Implementation Opinions on the Development of Foreign-related Legal Service Industry, Plans to Facilitate the Foreign-related Legal Service Industry and other documents. Those documents clarified the objectives and tasks of developing foreign-related legal service industry, and put forward a number of measures to better do foreign-related legal services, so as to promote the foreign-related legal services in Guangdong, to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and enterprises in other countries, and to facilitate the formation of a new pattern of comprehensive openness.

     He believed that the seminar on Investment in Countries along the Belt and Road-Thailand by the same center had made some great impacts last year. This seminar focuses on legal risks and precautions of investment in countries along the “Belt and Road countries”, with outstanding foreign-related lawyers from Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Guangdong sharing the experience of investment by local companies in various countries. These seminar topics would help enterprises learn more about the legal risks essential in overseas investment. He suggested the center keep hosting such activities as a brand series to build a communication platform for foreign lawyers and enterprises. He also said that the provincial judicial department would keep striving for the support from provincial government and related departments to actively build a platform to connect enterprises and lawyers. He hoped that Guangdong lawyers would take this opportunity to strengthen exchanges with overseas lawyers, to improve their profession level in foreign-related legal services, to provide quality services and legal protection for Chinese companies, especially Guangdong enterprises, to go global, and to contribute to achieving Guangdong's goal of “leading ahead across the country in four aspects” and promoting the construction of the "Belt and Road".

    Mr. Chen Fang said that the construction of the “Belt and Road” was an important measure for China to fit into the globalization process and promote all-round opening up. The “One Belt, One Road” construction is inseparable from the close cooperation with countries along the route. This seminar brought together senior lawyers from countries along the “Belt and Road” countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines to share and discuss relevant experiences of investment, and legal risks and precautions of international trade in countries along the “Belt and Road”.  He believed that this seminar integrated domestic and foreign investment laws, policies and practices with a purpose to encourage the active exchanges between the guests from different countries, and to strengthen de cooperation of legal industry between different countries with broader visions and higher goals. Meanwhile, the seminar also help entrepreneurs understand the legal risks and legal system of the target country to better manage and control risks in investment and to make necessary planning and adequate preparation for the enterprise going global. He reckoned that the “Belt and Road” initiative is a rare historical opportunity for Guangdong lawyers in this era, under which the Guangdong Lawyers Association was striving to build a communication platform for Guangdong lawyers to create a bigger and better common arena for development. He hoped that the attendees could make progress in the exchanges, achieve a win-win situation in cooperation, and play an important role in promoting the construction of the “Belt and Road” and the legal community under “Belt and Road” initiative.