印尼电信公司PTBakrieTelecom近日已与中国工商银行签署了3亿美元的人民币融资备忘录。 该交易成为全世界第一项以人民币计价对境外公司为借款人的贷款项目。

中伦，史密夫以印尼Hiswara Bunjamin and Tanjung律师事务所为工商银行提供法律咨询。

Zhong Lun, Herbert Smith and associated Indonesian firm Hiswara Bunjamin and Tanjung (HBT) have recently advised ICBC on the world’s first RMB-denominated loan to a non-Chinese telco borrower borrowing offshore.

Backed by Huawei Technologies, ICBC has extended a US$294m financing arrangement to Indonesia Bakrie Telecom. "Huawei is the biggest telecommunications company in China and is very active in the export market. We believe that ICBC and Huawei will continue to work together, using this loan structure with different borrowers from other parts of the world,” said Alexander Aitken, Herbert Smith’s lead partner on the deal.

Aitken said the deal’s novelty will also trigger more interest from telecommunications firms and other players located outside China to take up RMB-denominated loans. ““Chinese banks are committed to supporting domestic exports to the rest of the world. One way in which they can show that support is to make the RMB valuable as a borrowing currency, thereby offering borrowers further flexibility,” he added.

Herbert Smith’s decade-old association with Jakarta-based HBT, along with its longstanding relationship with ICBC, both played a key role in winning the mandate. The firm has completed many deals with HBT involving China, particularly in the oil, gas and minerals sector. Bakrie Telecom was not formally represented by external counsel. ALB

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