On 3 March 2019, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) successfully held the inauguration ceremony to launch the KWM Belt & Road Center for International Cooperation and Facilitation (BRCICF) and the "Belt & Road Forum: Opportunity and Action" in Beijing. Mr. Leung Chun-ying, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the fourth term Chief Executive of Hong Kong (2012-17), and more than 120 distinguished guests from state ministries and commissions, research institutes, trade associations, central SOEs and leading private enterprises were present at the ceremony. KWM Global Chairman Wang Junfeng delivered the welcome speech. Ms. Huang Jianwen, Director of BRCICF and KWM partner hosted the ceremony and the forum.
Attendees at the inauguration ceremony
Mr. Leung Chun-ying, the vice-chairman of the CPPCC and the former chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR. He noted that the Belt & Road Initiative in its essence is to promote international cooperation and global interconnectivity which in its first place, requires a thorough mutual understanding between different countries given that different nations vary in term of history, culture, ideology, mindset, behavioral traits and social and economic development phase. As the Chinese proverb says, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The implementation of the Belt & Road Initiative not only presents an opportunity for Chinese law firms, but also needs strong support from Chinese legal practitioners. Legal service providers and professionals should seize the opportunity to play its role and make contribution to the country and the people. To make our "going global" journey stable and far-reaching, we must operate in compliance with local law and regulation in host countries and resort to legal means to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests as disputes may rise. As a result, it is highly desirable and necessary to develop our legal talents with international expertise.
Mr. Leung Chun-ying, the Vice Chairman of CPPCC and the Former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, delivered a speech at the Inauguration Ceremony.
Global Chairman Wang Junfeng said in his welcome speech that KWM, as a recognized legal service brand in China and Asia, will always take serving the Belt & Road Initiative as its mission and duty. KWM's legal services for the Belt & Road Initiative are characterized and distinguished by: i) expanse of geographical scope; ii) comprehensive coverage of all major practice areas; and iii) all-round service model. The establishment of the KWM Belt & Road Center for International Cooperation and Facilitation is intended to fully integrate and exert KWM's Belt & Road professional resources, actively make use of KWM's diversified strengths, innovate the service model and effectively connect governments and enterprises, and provide quality professional advice and services for both domestic and overseas players that desire to explore opportunities brought by the Belt & Road Initiative.
Mr. Wang Junfeng, Global Chairman of KWM.
Subsequently, Mr. Leung Chun-ying, Mr. Kong Dan, former Chairman of CITIC Group and President of the CITIC Foundation for Reform and Development Studies, Mr. Qi Bin, Executive Vice President of China Investment Corporation (CIC), Mr. Zhou Yuansheng, Deputy Director of the Department of Lawyers and Public Notary at the Ministry of Justice， Mr. Liu Jianxing, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission (ICC-NDRC),Mr. Miao Lin, Party Committee Secretary, and Mr. Wang Qun, a deputy-bureau-director-level official at Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, Mr. Wang Zhenmin, Director of the Institute of National Governance Studies and professor at School of Law, Tsinghua University, KWM Global Chairman Wang Junfeng and Ms. Huang Jianwen (Director of BRCICF) jointly inaugurated the KWM Belt & Road Center for International Cooperation and Facilitation.
The Inauguration of the KWM Belt & Road Center for International Cooperation and Facilitation
After the inauguration, BRCICF held the "Belt & Road Forum: Opportunity and Action" to explore the future development opportunity and actions to take under the Belt & Road Initiative. The attendees shared practical experience from matters related to the countries and regions along the Belt & Road and discussed the legal environments and risks facing the enterprises. Ms. Huang Jianwen, the Director of BRCICF, and KWM partner Ms. Tian Wenjing gave an overview of BRCICF.
About the KWM Belt & Road Center for International Cooperation and Facilitation (BRCICF):
As a comprehensive professional service platform established by KWM to integrate functions of legal service, think tank study, advisory service and international cooperation, BRCICF is intended to give full play to KWM's global and diversified strengths and innovative service model, and effectively connect governments and enterprises, and provide quality professional services for both domestic and overseas players that desire to explore opportunities brought by the Belt & Road Initiative.
