As the recognised lawyer, what do you consider to be the greatest achievements of your career?
It is hard to say what are the great achievements. If I may, I would say the trust of the clients earned by providing quality services is the greatest achievement and the most important assets in my career.
I would say the watershed moment is the year 2004 when I joined Haiwen & Partners which since then has provided me with the opportunity to stay close to the China market, to be in the China market and capture the opportunities arising from the rapid development of China and grow with the fast growth of China’s economy in the past two decades.
What advice would you give to lawyers in junior positions to encourage them to work towards success?
Willing to work more (which will indeed help one to grow faster), be proactive, and stay in the industry long enough.
What does your firm do to nurture and promote talent?
Haiwen has fabulous training programmes and a very nice team-work environment. Talented people will have more opportunities to work on more challenging and interesting transactions. I think Haiwen stands out for its reputation that Haiwen’s partners are very hands on, and associates receive well-tutoring and on-the-job training.
If you could introduce one policy across the entire legal profession what would it be?
Be professional, with high integrity and a problem-solving attitude.
Are there any initiatives in the firm to help your clients deal with the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic?
We have used more and more online working tools, and also adopted flexible working policies during the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic. But in China, life and work is back to normal as the Chinese government has been extremely effective in controlling the pandemic.
Market trends
What trends from 2021 do you see sticking around into 2022 and beyond in your field of expertise?
It is reasonably expected that international travel will continue to be restricted in 2002 and this will affect the outbound investment transactions.
Given the current conditions in your country what would you consider to be the market outlook over the coming year?
As noted above, China has done a terrific job in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic, and we expect 2022 will be a good year.
What kind of work do you expect will keep you busy over the next 12 months?
There will be a lot including M&A, capital market transactions, IP, fund formation, regulatory advice, bankruptcy.
Are there any upcoming regulatory changes or initiatives that investors should be aware of?
In China, the enforcement of anti-monopoly law and data protection/cyber security law will be enhanced.
What do you feel is the biggest misconception others have about your market?
For people who know China, I do not think there is much misconception. For people who know little about China, they should come to see China.
What is the one thing you think the IFLR’s international audience should know about how to successfully do business in your market?
Localisation. Use local talents who are familiar with or able to adapt to international norms.
Zhang Jiping
Managing partner
Haiwen & Partners
T: +86 10 8560 6836
Zhang Jiping is the managing partner of Haiwen & Partners. Zhang has over 25 years’ experience, and has widely been regarded by clients and industry as an expert in the M&A and capital markets areas.
In the area of M&A transactions, Zhang has represented international financial institutions, multinational corporations and international private equity firms extensively, as well as large Chinese enterprises, including both SOEs and non-SOEs, for their cross-border M&A investments.
Zhang has been highly ranked by IFLR for many years, and was ranked as market leader by IFLR in 2018 to 2021 for M&A, private equity and capital markets.
Zhang received his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in law from the University of international business and economics in Beijing in 1990 and 1993, respectively, and his LLM degree from New York University School of Law in 1997.
