Rundong Liu

Practice Areas

Export Control & Sanction, Arbitration, Enforcement

Career

Leo (Rundong) Liu is an expert in cross-border dispute resolution and risk management. Prior to joining DHH, he held positions in well-known arbitration institutions and law firms both domestically and internationally, served as Chief Representative of China for Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC). He is adept at reaching clients' business objectives while achieving overall coordination of compliance and risk management.

He has led numerous high-profile government investigation cases, particularly in export controls & sanctions and anti-money laundering, accumulated extensive experience. He pioneered the integrated legal service encompassing standardized monitoring, compliance, risk control, response, lobby-support and dispute resolution for clients. Recognized for his expertise, he was listed by CHAMBERS & PARTNERS as Recommended Lawyer in Export Controls and Sanctions. In 2024, two cases led by his team on compliance with overseas investment as well as export controls & sanctions, were both selected by Xinhua (China’s dominating national media) as “Annual Legal Service Cases for Global Investment by Chinese Enterprises.”

He also successfully led litigation and arbitration cases with a total dispute in sum exceeding 10 billion RMB, and has appeared independently in international commercial arbitration and mediation cases. With the style flexible yet tough, he is well-versed in the rules and procedures of most well-known domestic and international arbitration institutions. He is adept at safeguarding client’s rights and interests while achieving the most favorable settlements. Famous for providing comprehensive cross-border enforcement services in complex cases such as enforce-ability investigation and criminal charge against transfer of enforceable assets and non-performance of valid judgement and awards, he has been frequently recommended by and between clients.

Personal

Leo loves nothing more than having his children stay with him and take a nap enjoying sunshine together after lunch.

Clients

He has been employed by a number of Fortune 500 companies, especially for advanced manufacturing enterprises such as Inspur, Lenovo, Hon Hai Foxconn S-Group, Naura, also provided specialized legal service for SOEs such as Petro-China, CITIC, China Development Bank and China Railroad Construction, as well as other multinationals such as ABB, Syngenta, Villeroy & Boch and Swiss Center, and others key clients leading their own industries.

Work Highlights

Dispute Resolution

• Represented Chinese companies in international sales contract dispute with a leading European trading conglomerate, providing legal representation at SIAC. He successfully achieved highly favorable awards and procedural outcomes for clients.

• Represented a Chinese client in enforcing an arbitration award rendered by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) in China and five different European jurisdictions, achieving satisfactory enforcement results for the client.

• Represented an Indian client in a dual arbitration case against a Chinese company at CIETAC and SIAC. Conducted enforceability investigations, identified critical evidence, and assisted the client in obtaining a payment freeze on a letter of credit (LC), and successfully mitigated significant losses.

• Represented a major Chinese SOE in a project contract dispute with a Korean company. Worked closely with business and legal teams to devise a robust litigation strategy and led multiple rounds of negotiations, achieving a favorable reconciliation before arbitration procedure commenced, avoiding significant risks.

• Served as a long-term counsel for a Fortune Global 500 overseas company, representing clients in arbitration cases. By organizing substantial materials and conducting extensive interviews and negotiations, all cases have achieved favorable reconciliation agreements, all of which have been effectively enforced.

• Served as a long-term counsel for the German brand Villeroy & Boch in dispute resolution cases. Successfully represented the company in multiple lawsuits initiated by Chinese distributors, collaborating closely with the company’s legal team to organize evidence, conduct warehouse investigations, and perform interviews. Major claims in all cases have been supported by arbitration tribunals and courts.

• Served as long-term counsel for Lenovo Group in dispute resolution matters. Represented the company in complex disputes involving 7 parties related to a key national data center construction project. Conducted litigation procedures across multiple courts simultaneously, collaborated with legal teams to organize extensive materials, performed enforceability investigations, secured asset preservation, and facilitated rounds of negotiations. Successfully compelled disputing parties to sign the settlement agreement, avoiding a potential liability of RMB 160 million while recovering RMB 220 million in counter-claims.

• Represented a private listed company in a case involving appropriation of substantial loans by a well-known enterprise and malicious bankruptcy. Worked closely with business and legal teams to conduct asset tracing, file criminal accusations of refusal to enforce judgments or rulings, facilitate the enforcement of settlements domestically, and conduct asset investigations and enforcement of arbitration awards in overseas jurisdictions. Successfully recovered RMB 240 million from losses.

• Represented a Chinese shareholder in a lawsuit and arbitration arising from a complex shareholding structure and domestic asset disposition of a company jointly established with a foreign shareholder in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), achieving restoration of control over the company.

• Represented a client in applying to enforce a Chinese court judgment in Canada, achieving a satisfactory settlement.

• Represented a foreign consulates, and relevant personnel of a commerce chamber in a complex bankruptcy litigation involving state-owned assets, successfully protected clients from being sued.

Regulatory Compliance and Investigation Response

•Dr. Liu is a highly regarded legal expert specializing in export control, sanctions compliance, and dispute resolution. As a prominent member of the expert research team, he has contributed to the "Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law" and provided strategic recommendations for national industry associations and provincial trade promotion agencies, including the drafting of annual reports. He also played a key role in providing legal opinion reports for the annual China-US Section 337 investigation summit co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

•Dr. Liu offers comprehensive risk assessment and compliance review services for significant overseas projects, particularly for large state-owned enterprises and leading corporations in industries of renewable energy, agriculture, and geological survey. Through insightful risk management strategies customized according to specific case contexts, his specialized reports facilitated successful transactions involving sensitive jurisdictions.

•With extensive experience in corporate compliance systems, Dr. Liu serves leading firms across industries including new energy, medical devices, and automotive sectors, providing customized sanctions compliance guidelines that identify external risks posed by sanctions of foreign countries, according to relevant Red Flags and Best Practice recognized by relevant industry practice.

•He provides critical legal reviews and advisory services to financial institutions regarding sanctions and export control risks in investment and financial settlement, successfully facilitating end-to-end compliance services for a major policy-oriented state-owned bank on a national key industry project worth over 10 billion.

•Dr. Liu has played a vital role in the removal of the first Chinese enterprise from the Specially Designated Nationals & Blocked Persons List (SDN) and has assisted firms facing inclusion on the Entity List (EL). His efforts have led to successful negotiations and compliance strategies that secure favorable outcomes for clients.

•He has also assisted multiple enterprises listed on the Unverified List (UVL), ensuring thorough dialogue with U.S. and Chinese authorities and successfully completing due diligence on entities' credibility and ultimate end uses, leading to successful removals from the list.

•Furthermore, Dr. Liu has played a key role in responding to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Section 337 investigations, participating in legal strategies for multiple cases concerning China, and has led compliance investigations for various antitrust inquiries initiated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

•In matters concerning foreign government anti-money laundering investigations for a reputable multinational bank, Dr. Liu has overseen a legal team in formulating compliance strategies and response services, successfully establishing a compliance framework and fulfilling settlement commitments.

•He has also provided comprehensive government investigation response and compliance services to numerous prominent multinational corporations in advanced manufacturing and healthcare, addressing compliance issues related to anti-bid rigging and anti-commercial bribery investigations by domestic and foreign authorities, facilitating favorable outcomes through strategic government reporting.

•Dr. Liu has also supplied compliance, review, and training for various high-profile international investment and merger deals, focusing on antitrust and anti-commercial bribery matters.

Industry Sector Expertise

Dipute Resolution (National and International)

Regulatory Compliance and Investigation

Expert in these Jurisdictions

China(Mainland)

Singapore

Languages Spoken

Chinese(Mandarian, Sichuan Dialect, Cantonese)

English

Experience

Beijing DHH Law Firm

Education

Awards