Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (LexBlog China)

On August 9, 2023, the Biden Administration issued the long-awaited Executive Order on Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern (the “EO”) and accompanying Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “ANPRM”) setting forth the proposed contours of an outbound investment regime targeting China.[1] Under the proposed regime,..

On September 21, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled insider trading charges against the CEO and the former President and Chief Technology Officer of Cheetah Mobile Inc. (the “Company”), a China-based mobile internet company.  The executives allegedly possessed material nonpublic information (“MNPI”) when they set up a trading plan under Rule 10b5-1 of...

On February 7, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois unsealed an indictment against Hytera Communications Corporation, Ltd. (“Hytera”), a company headquartered in Shenzhen, China, and several individuals, charging each with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets.[1]  The indictment’s allegations parallel those made in two civil complaints Motorola Solutions...

The “Supplemental Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” was signed on November 27, 2020 and entered into force partially on the same day and partially on May 19, 2021. Significantly, the Supplemental Arrangement modifies and expands the existing “Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral...

On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China adopted the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law,” which represents the Chinese government’s most recent and direct response to U.S. and EU sanctions that have been imposed on China during the last year.  The law, which took immediate effect, authorizes the Chinese government to...

The U.S. government recently announced that it issued multiple subpoenas to Chinese companies pursuant to an executive order that provides the U.S. government with the authority to review and prohibit or restrict transactions conducted by any person, or involving any property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, if they involve certain categories of information and communications technology...

The new year comes in the midst of an evolving landscape for economic sanctions, including the transition away from a U.S. administration that has relied on tightening economic sanctions as a key component of a number of foreign policy initiatives. In 2021, boards of directors should be aware of the ongoing implementation of new China-related sanctions, sanctions risks relating to ransomware...

Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of State issued the first of two mandatory reports under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA), identifying 10 Hong Kong and mainland China officials as materially contributing to the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy (the “Section 5(a) Report”).[1]  Because the same individuals were already designated on the List of Specially...

Following the enactment of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA), the issuance of Executive Order 13936, which implemented sanctions authorities under the HKAA and other statutes, and other recent U.S. sanctions designations and enforcement actions, many multinational entities based or operating in Hong Kong are concerned with how to navigate the new landscape. Financial institutions subject to...

The Securities and Exchange Commission held a roundtable on July 9, 2020 on investing in emerging markets. Participants with a very wide range of perspectives addressed three concentric circles of topics: At the core is the regulatory impasse between the United States and China over the ability of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)...

On July 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order pursuant to the Hong Kong Policy Act eliminating the separate status of Hong Kong and China under various provisions of U.S. law, including export controls, immigration, tax, and extradition, as well as providing for the implementation of recent Hong-Kong related sanctions authorities. Please click here to read the...

Cleary Gottlieb and Tiantong & Partners 天同律师事务所 continue their collaboration to produce joint analyses regarding some of the current U.S. regulatory challenges for Chinese companies.  This fourth analysis is based on a case study of U.S. sanctions imposed against China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), one of the world’s largest shipping companies, and considers sanctions risk mitigation for...

Cleary Gottlieb and Tiantong & Partners 天同律师事务所 continue their collaboration to produce joint analyses regarding some of the current U.S. regulatory challenges for Chinese companies.  In light of renewed interest in China on the topic of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction, this third analysis reviews lessons learned on civil personal jurisdiction from cases involving the Bank of China and...

On April 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published two final rules and one proposed rule[1] that will result in tighter restrictions on exports, reexports, and in-country transfers of dual-use items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and controlled for national security reasons to China, Russia, Venezuela,...

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced at a special press conference on May 31 that it will institute an “Unreliable Entity List” system based on China’s Foreign Trade Law, Anti-Monopoly Law, and National Security Law. The planned “Unreliable Entity List” will include foreign companies, organizations, and individuals that do not obey market rules, act contrary...

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress of China (the “NPC”) approved the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “FIL”), which is set to become effective on January 1, 2020.  The FIL introduces sweeping changes to China’s current legal regime governing foreign investments and, if properly implemented, holds the promise...

On March 27, 2019, journalists affiliated with Reuters reported that the Kunlun Group (“Kunlun”), a China-based tech firm, was preparing to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Grindr, after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) informed the group that Kunlun’s continued ownership of Grindr constituted a national security risk.  This forced divestiture...

On March 27, 2019, journalists affiliated with Reuters reported that the Kunlun Group (“Kunlun”), a China-based tech firm, was preparing to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Grindr, after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) informed the group that Kunlun’s continued ownership of Grindr constituted a national security risk. This forced divestiture...

Recent media reports, including in State-connected media, suggest that China is about to block access to all cryptocurrency trading platforms, including those operating overseas.  In September 2017, the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) and six other government agencies jointly issued guidance  immediately banning fundraising through offerings of tokens, such as initial coin offerings (“ICOs”), and.

The US-China Business Council (“USCBC”) released a report on February 5, 2018.  The report identifies three key areas in which the China Cybersecurity Law (the “CCL”), which came into effect in June 2017, has posed significant challenges to companies’ ability to conduct business in China, and sets forth detailed recommendations to the Chinese regulators to...

In parallel with the entry into force of Regulation 2017/2321 amending EU anti-dumping and subsidy rules (see here for further details), the Commission released its first country report on December 20, 2017.  Unsurprisingly, the Commission has chosen China as the subject of this first report.  In the accompanying Q&A document, the Commission stresses that this...

On October 3, 2017, the EU Parliament, the Council, and the Commission reached an agreement on changes to the EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy legislation. (See our previous posts on China’s status and the public consultation.) Concurrently, however, the 2013 Commission’s proposal on the Modernization of Trade Defense Instruments (covering inter alia amendments to the “lesser...

As the implementation of China’s first comprehensive cybersecurity law (the “CCL”) progresses, concern is mounting in the international business community regarding the law’s expansive scope, prescriptive requirements and lack of clarity on a range of critical issues. Vocalizing such concern, on September 25, 2017, the United States government asked China to halt its implementation of...

As the implementation of China’s first comprehensive cybersecurity law (the “CCL”) progresses, concern is mounting in the international business community regarding the law’s expansive scope, prescriptive requirements and lack of clarity on a range of critical issues. Vocalizing such concern, on September 25, 2017, the United States government asked China to halt its implementation of...

U.S. and European companies continue to receive bids to sell themselves and their significant assets to companies based in the People’s Republic of China.  Evaluation of these proposals requires due diligence of the acquiror’s ownership structure, assets, cash position, and financing sources.  Moreover, even if this due diligence exercise gives rise to satisfactory results, the...

Background Fifteen years ago, China joined the World Trade Organization (“WTO”). To alleviate concerns of cheap Chinese goods flooding international markets at that time, China agreed to allow other WTO members to continue conducting their anti-dumping calculations in a special way, thereby recognizing the concerns of certain members that prices of Chinese goods could be...

Companies based in the People’s Republic of China have committed to over $100 billion of overseas acquisitions since January 1, 2016, including a number of high profile targets in the United States and Europe.[1] The ties of these buyers to governmental entities in the PRC, coupled with the unpredictability of the PRC government, and the...

On February 10, 2016, the European Commission (“the Commission”) launched a public online consultation to gather input from stakeholders on possible changes to the methodology for assessing dumping duties on goods originating from China. [1] This consultation takes place in the context of the impending expiry on December 11, 2016, of certain provisions of China’s...

On March 27, 2013, China’s Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) published for public comment “Rules on Attaching Restrictive Conditions to Concentrations between Undertakings (Draft for Comment)” (the “Draft Rules”). As the first comprehensive guidance on merger remedies under the Chinese Anti-Monopoly Law (the “AML”), the Draft Rules address a wide range of issues, including the design,...