International Lawyers Dentons Set Up JV Belt & Road Centre in Xinjiang Province

The international law firm Dentons has established a legal service center for companies doing business with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Province. The move is being touted as an effort to provide the necessary services for business opportunities presented by the Belt & Road Initiative.

The center has been co-founded by Dentons Urumqi offices in collaboration with the local Xinjiang High-Tech Talents Management Co Ltd and also has a presence in both companies local offices. The center will provide free initial legal services, in addition to legal advice for foreign investors major decisions, assist with companies risk prevention and control systems, advice on internal management controls and provide other related services.

Zhang Bo, deputy head of the Lawyers Association of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the base will facilitate companies conducting business with Belt & Road Initiative countries, as well as provide HR services in selection and overseeing talent.

Where I’d Head If I Was A New Expat In China: Urumqi “Dentons move is a brave step into uncharted territory” says Chris Devonshire-Ellis of Dezan Shira & Associates www.dezshira.com “They are correct to identify regional legal and related issues as an emerging market, while Urumqi is one of the wealthiest cities in Central Asia and the main China gateway to the region. In time we can expect to see foreign firms establish operations in cities such as Almaty, Bishkek, Tashkent and Samarkand as the Belt & Road Initiative projects provide initial local investment followed by more sustainable cashflow levels as businesses start to use the new infrastructure and exploit the trade opportunities this will ultimately provide.”