Dechert has hired corporate partners Xiao Yong and Nicholas Song in Hong Kong and Beijing, respectively, from Vinson & Elkins.

A team of V&E lawyers are going with Xiao and Song, including counsels Nicholas Molan and Zhaohui Li as well as associates Jason Wu and Sarah Teh.

Xiao, who headed V&E’s China practice, specialises in cross-border M&A, particularly in the energy sector. He represents some of China’s largest state-owned enterprises, including China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec), China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC). Last year, Xiao led the V&E team on Sinopec’s $1.3 billion stake acquisition in SIBUR, Russia’s top petrochemical company.

His practice also includes seeking approvals from high-level government agencies and conducting anti-monopoly filings. Xiao was previously a government official in China, working at the Ministry of Commerce for a decade.

Like Xiao, Song focuses on cross-border M&A, especially in the energy industry and acts for several of China’s largest state-owned enterprises. He also advises clients on international arbitration matters and has conducted under the rules of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), among others.

“Their deals, particularly in the energy sector, are very impressive,” said Dechert CEO Henry Nassau in a statement Tuesday. “This team gives us greater depth in Asia, and their practices nicely complement those of our established M&A partners David Cho and Stephen Chan.”

David Cho joined Dechert in 2012 from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, while Stephen Chan joined the firm in January this year from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.