Jun Cheng

Practice Areas

Cross-border Investment/M&A, Construction & Project Development, Financing

Professional Memberships

Former Lecturer of Economic Law, Law School of Renmin University of China

Former Expert, Expert Committee of Tianjin No. 1 Intermediate People's Procuratorate

Former Adjunct Professor, University of Luxembourg

Personal

Mr. Jun Cheng graduated from Renmin University of China with a master's degree in law in 1997. He then pursued further studies in France and received his PhD from the University de Paris I (Sorbonne) with the highest distinction for his doctoral dissertation. Mr. Cheng passed the bar exam at the Paris Bar Court of Appeal and was called to the French Bar, making him one of the few Chinese lawyers qualified to practice law in both China and France. He has been recognized as a Band 1 lawyer by Chambers Global & Chambers Asia Pacific/Greater China Region and lauded as a highly recommended lawyer by IFLR 1000 in energy and infrastructure, corporate and M&A, and banking and finance. He was also selected into the Belt and Road Cross-border Lawyers Pool of the National Lawyers Association and the National Foreign-related Lawyers Pool of the Ministry of Justice. Several projects led by him have been recognized as "Deal of the Year".

Mr. Cheng's team specializes in Chinese enterprises' cross-border investment and M&A, especially in mining and natural resources, overseas energy & power sectors, and large-scale infrastructure projects. Mr. Cheng has managed more than 100 large-scale Chinese overseas investment projects, many of which are national-level cooperative projects with significant international influence. Mr. Cheng has handled hundreds of large-scale Chinese enterprises' overseas investment projects, with his practice covering more than 100 jurisdictions. He has built strong and long-term rapport with many large state-owned enterprise groups, leading banks, investment funds, and Sinosure. He has provided overseas investment training for domestic and overseas enterprises at the invitation of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

Work Highlights

Cross-border Mineral & Natural Resources Projects

• Advised Export-Import Bank of China, China Railway Co., Ltd., and China Water Resources and Hydropower Construction Corporation on a multibillion US dollar mining and infrastructure reconstruction project led by Chinese enterprises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was one of the most successful projects carried out on the resource financed infrastructure (RFI) basis by Chinese enterprises in Africa

• Advised China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. on the Deziwa copper and cobalt mine investment project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Advised a large Sichuan-based private-sector enterprise on negotiations with the Cameroonian government regarding the Mining Convention for the Mbalam-Nabeba Iron Project

• Advised China-Africa Development Fund and CNNC Overseas Uranium Industry Co., Ltd. on a uranium mining project in Namibia

• Advised China-Africa Development Fund/Wuhan Iron and Steel Company Limited on the acquisition of a mining right in Liberia

• Advised Sinomine Resource Group Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of the US-based Cabot Corporation and its wholly owned UK subsidiary, including the acquisition of the Tanco Project, which is the world's largest cesium garnet mine

• Advised Sichuan Road & Bridge (Group) Corporation Ltd. on its acquisition of the Colluli Potash Mine Project in Eritrea, one of the world's largest undeveloped potash mines

• Advised Shandong Gold Group Co., Ltd. on its privatization of Hengxing Gold from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange following its HKD 3 billion acquisition by scheme of arrangement

• Advised Shanghai Pengxin Group on its acquisition of a copper mining company established in Democratic Republic of the Congo by acquiring shares in a BVI company

• Advised Sinohydro Corporation Limited on its investment in a Mozambique limestone mine and investment in and construction of a cement plant

• Advised Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of the Bibiani gold mine project in Ghana and the dispute resolution proceedings related to it

• Advised Wuhuan Engineering Co., Ltd. on its investment in an Algerian phosphate, which is the first fertilizer complex project in Algeria and has a proposed total investment of around USD 7 billion

• Advised China Railway Construction Corporation International Investment Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of a partial interest in Cardinal Resources, which operates a gold mine in Ghana

• Advised a consortium of several large central enterprises on its acquisition of an iron mine in Brazil

• Advised Sinomine Resource Group Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of the Bikita lithium mine in Zimbabwe

• Advised Sichuan Fulin Enterprise Group Co., Ltd. on its investment in a copper mine in Uganda

• Advised Yunnan Metallurgical Xinli Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. on a titanium mine development project in Mozambique

• Advised Sichuan Road & Bridge (Group) Corporation Ltd. on its acquisition of the Asmara copper and gold mine in Eritrea

• Advised Chengxin Lithium Group Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of the Sabi Star lithium project in Zimbabwe

• Advised Jinyuan Ep Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of a lithium brine extraction project in Argentina

• Advised Shandong Gold Group Co., Ltd. on its bid for Canadian gold mining company IAMGOLD

• Advised China Development Bank Corporation on its investment in the Aktogai sulphide mine in Kazakhstan

• Advised Tianqi Lithium Corporation on its acquisition of shares in TSX-listed Nemaska

• Advised a subsidiary of the State Development and Investment Corporation on its acquisition of a limestone mine and a cement plant construction project in Indonesia

• Advised Amer International Group on its acquisition of a molybdenum mine in the United States

• Advised Sinohydro Corporation Limited on its partial acquisition of TSX-Listed MagIndustries, which operates a potash mine in the Republic of Congo

• Advised China Communications Construction on its acquisition of a salt project in Djibouti

• Advised Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. on its disposal of the Mikas copper project in Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Advised China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation Ltd. on investment in and development of a zirconium titanium placer in Mauritania

• Advised Huayou International Mining (Hong Kong) Limited on its nickel mine project in Zambia

• Advised China National Materials Cement Co., Ltd. on a limestone mine and cement production project in Zambia

• Advised China Road & Bridge Construction on a limestone mine and cement production project in Zambia

• Advised Zhonghui International Mining Industry Group Limited on its copper mine project in Zambia

• Advised Shandong Gold Group Co., Ltd. on its gold mine acquisition from Glencore in Kazakhstan

• Advised Sinohydro Corporation Limited on its potash mine project in the Republic of the Congo

• Advised China Communications Construction Company Limited on its potash mine project in Ethiopia

• Advised China National Native Produce and Animal By-products Import and Export Corporation on its sale of forestry assets in Gabon

• Advised Shantou Atomic Culture Communication Co., Ltd. on its acquisition of forestry assets

• Advised a large domestic enterprise on its acquisition of a bauxite project in Guinea

• Advised a listed private-sector company on its acquisitions of lithium mine in Tanzania

• Advised a private-sector company on its acquisitions of lithium mines in Mongolia and Nigeria

• Advised a listed private-sector company on its acquisition of a lithium mine in Mongolia

• Advised a large private-sector listed company on its investment in a lithium mine development project in Bolivia

• Advised a new energy material high-tech listed company on its acquisition of a nickel mine in Indonesia

• Advised a large listed enterprise on its acquisition of lithium mine in Zimbabwe

Cross-Border Energy & Power Projects

• Advised Shenyang TBEA Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd. on the Amaria hydropower station project in the Republic of Guinea, which is the first BOT project in Guinea and Shenyang’s largest oversea investment project with a total investment of USD 1.15 billion

• Advised Hunan International Cooperative Private Equity Management Co., Ltd. on its investment in the Kom Ombo 200 MW photovoltaic power plant project in Egypt

• Advised CLAI Fund on the San Gahuen III hydropower station project in Peru

• Advised China-LAC Cooperation Fund on the Chagya hydropower station project in Peru

• Advised China Huadian Hong Kong Company Limited on the Santa Maria hydropower station project in Peru

• Advised China Overseas Infrastructure Development & Investment Corporation on a thermal power project in Ivory Coast

• Advised Titan Wind Energy (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. on a wind power project in India

• Advised CGGC International Ltd. on multiple hydropower projects in Nepal

• Advised Sinosteel MECC on a 2x350 mw coal-fired power project in Cambodia

• Advised CCCC Industry Investment Company Ltd. on a coal-fired power plant project in Pakistan

• Advised China National Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. on a coal-fired power plant project in Indonesia

Mr. Jun Cheng’s bio can be found here: https://en.zhonglun.com/team/chengjun.html

Languages Spoken

Chinese

French

English

Expert in these Jurisdictions

PRC Bar

French Republic Bar

Experience

Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm, 2007 to present

Associate, Beijing Huanzhong Law Firm, 2005-2007

Lecturer, Renmin University of China Law School, 2005-2007