Greater China Region
Practice Areas
Yao's main practice areas encompass Corporate and M&A, Data Compliance, Labor, and Construction.
Yao has been providing long term legal services to multinational companies in China, especially specialized in providing solutions for their M&As in the highly regulated industries such as medical and healthcare, food & beverage, construction, and mining, as well as setting up their foreign-invested companies or other commercial presences in China. Yao has developed an extensive practice in cross-border transactions and has assisted many Chinese enterprises in their outbound investments including M&A and complicated construction projects.
Yao's specializations also include comprehensive labor law and corporate law matters, including consultation in the areas of data protection, commercial contract, compliance, competition, tax, foreign exchange, customs, environmental protection and anti-monopoly.
Career
Yao started practicing in 2002. Before joining HHP, Yao worked for Haarmann Hemmelrath Partners and Salans.
Publications
A Global Roadmap to Personal Data Protection: Asia Pacific, Europe&USA (China Chapter)
Asia - A Legal Guide for Business Investment and Expansion (China Chapter)
Professional Memberships
- Member of the Global Board and Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Region, Meritas Law Firms Network (2018-2023)
- External Legal Counsel for the Huangpu District Government, Shanghai (Since 2022)
- Deputy Director, Huangpu District Lawyers’ Working Committee, Shanghai (Since 2023)
- Deputy Director, Shanghai Bar Association’s SME Law Firms Committee (Since 2024)
Work Highlights
- Handled 18 cross-border M&A, joint venture, and greenfield investment projects in Brazil, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey in the past 2 years.
- Managed over 1,000 cross-border M&A, restructuring, investment, compliance, labor, and construction cases throughout his career.
- Developed “Overseas Compliance Systems” to help Chinese enterprises identify and manage key risks while balancing business growth and compliance.
- Provided ESG compliance and improvement services for major Chinese corporations, including the preparation of ESG reports.
Languages Spoken
Chinese (Mandarin)
English
Education
Law School of Fudan University
Bachelor of Laws
1998 - 2002
Experience
He has been listed on the National Thousand Talent Program of Foreign-related Lawyers by the Ministry of Justice since 2019, and has been endorsed by many legal directories such as Chambers Global Guide, The Legal 500.
