The ALB Tahota Belt and Road International Commercial Legal Summit 2024 was successfully held on April 19 at the Renaissance Hotel in Xi'an.

The summit, hosted by the Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Justice and co-organised by the Xi'an Foreign Affairs Office, Yanta District Bureau of Justice, and the Xi'an Lawyers Association, and managed by Tahota Law Firm Xi’an Office and ALB, marked ALB's first offline event in the city. It received positive feedback from the local legal and business communities.

The summit brought together over 200 corporate in-house counsel, high-level executives, and legal professionals who engaged in deep discussions on hot topics in international commercial law under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). These discussions focused on the opportunities and challenges for Shaanxi businesses, emphasising the synergy between commercial activities and legal practices.

The event began with speeches from three distinguished guests. Su Guofeng, the Director of the Xi'an Bureau of Justice, highlighted Xi'an's proactive engagement with the BRI and its efforts to build a model zone for international commercial legal services. He called for all sectors to seize the momentum and push for high-quality development under the BRI framework.

Qi Zhang'an, Vice President of the Xi'an Lawyers Association, noted that Xi'an has 530 law firms and 12,653 practicing lawyers. He emphasised the legal community's role in providing theoretical and intellectual support to explore new breakthroughs in international commercial legal services.

Amantha Chia, Senior Director of Legal Media Group, AEM, Thomson Reuters, highlighted Xi'an's achievements in high-tech industries, international trade, and cultural tourism, calling on legal and business elites to share their experiences in foreign commercial legal services.

The summit then featured a keynote speech by Yang Fan, Director of Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Division at China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). She discussed the role of arbitration in strengthening the rule of law in foreign affairs and collaborative efforts under the BRI.

This was followed by Charles Feng, a partner at Tahota Law Firm, who spoke on legal issues in cutting-edge unfair competition cases, analysing actual cases he had represented and highlighting challenges related to data protection.

Afterwards, Du Kun, a lawyer at Tahota and a lecturer at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law, discussed the challenges and responses to antitrust law in the digital age, noting significant changes in the competitive elements and principles within the digital economy.

Following a networking break, the summit continued with a presentation by Dr. Saule Koshanova, Director of the New Asia-Europe Land-Sea Intermodal Transport Corridor Research Institute and a PhD from Peking University. Her topic, "Kazakhstan-China Transport and Logistics Cooperation under the Framework of the BRI," highlighted the Kazakhstan-China relations and the vast potential in Kazakhstan's main economic sectors of transportation and logistics.

Then, Professor Ushulova Sofiya Ramazanovna from the Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Law delivered a presentation titled "Investing in Central Asia: A Region of Unlimited Opportunities." She introduced the history and overview of the five Central Asian countries, analysed the risks associated with investments in these regions, and offered five key suggestions for unlocking their full potential.

The summit then welcomed a panel discussion led by Professor Wang Han from Northwest University of Political Science and Law. The panel included Xu Wenxin, Deputy Director of Xi’an Arbitration Commission; Han Lei, Head of Legal in the Northwest Region of Vanke; and Wei Tingting, a lawyer at Tahota Law Firm. They discussed the multifaceted opportunities for businesses under the BRI and the proactive role of legal professionals.

Xu emphasised the growing interest in foreign legal services, highlighting the efforts to leverage Chinese arbitration institutions' strengths and enhance the influence of Chinese justice internationally.

Han shared insights from an in-house perspective, noting the ever-evolving risks companies face. Citing Vanke as an example, he discussed the critical need for foreign legal expertise in various business sectors. He stressed the importance of building trust with external lawyers who are attuned to the company’s needs and can help navigate these challenges.

Wei addressed how external lawyers could effectively assist companies in managing initial risks under the overarching BRI context. She advocated starting with non-litigation services to develop comprehensive early risk prevention systems, and then integrating these with the strengths of arbitration and litigation services to create a holistic legal product suite.

As the event ended to resounding applause, Yao Ziqi, the managing partner of Tahota Xi'an office, thanked the speakers and attendees for enriching the forum with their insights and discussions. He called on the legal community to use the summit as a springboard for advancing the specialisation, efficiency, and innovation of commercial legal services under the BRI.

Member of the management committee and supervisor of the board at Tahota Xi'an office, Chen Ping and Zhang Long, also shared their perspectives on the integration of legal services with economic development, emphasising the growth of cross-border business and legal talent in Xi'an as a key city along the Belt and Road.

Amid enthusiastic applause from the attendees, the 2024 Summit concluded successfully. ALB remains committed to creating valuable platforms for legal professionals and extends its gratitude to all participants and speakers for their support of this summit. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

 

 

2024年4月19日，2024一带一路国际商事法律服务高峰论坛在西安万丽酒店成功举办。本次论坛由西安市司法局主办，由西安市人民政府外事办公室 、西安市雁塔区司法局 、西安市律师协会协办，由泰和泰（西安）律师事务所、汤森路透亚洲法律杂志（ALB）承办。

ALB在西安落地的首场线下活动获得了当地法律及商业群体的积极反响，论坛汇聚了两百余位资深企业法律顾问、企业高级管理人员和法律专业人士，近十位演讲及讨论嘉宾围绕企业涉外商事法律领域热点话题，针对陕西省企业在“一带一路”机遇下创新和发展中面对的机遇和挑战，聚焦商事和法律联动，进行了深度分享与热烈讨论。

下午14点，论坛正式开始。论坛首先迎来三位致辞嘉宾。

西安市司法局局长苏国峰在致辞中说道，近年来，西安积极践行“一带一路”创新，努力构建“一带一路”国际商事法律服务示范区建设，全面推进法律服务功能区建设。他呼吁社会各界顺势而为、乘势而上，推动陕西“一带一路”高质量发展的重要工作。

西安市律师协会副会长齐章安表示，西安市共有律师事务所530家，执业律师12653名，法律专业人才应用自己的学识智慧来提供有力的理论支撑和智力支持，为研究和探索“一带一路”国际商事法律服务的新突破积累更多经验。

谢京庭女士提出，近年，西安在高新经济产业、国际贸易、文化旅游领域成就显著。基于西安的关键角色，她呼吁来自法律及商业领域的精英分享涉外商事法律服务方面的经验和智慧。

致辞环节后，论坛迎来了首位演讲嘉宾：中国国际经济贸易仲裁委员会知识产权争议解决处处长兼湖北分会秘书长杨帆女士，为与会嘉宾带来题为“同筑国际仲裁‘生态圈’，共建‘一带一路’新愿景”的主题演讲。杨帆女士从仲裁机构的视角出发，阐释了仲裁在加强涉外法治建设和共建“一带一路”中的意义和作用。

泰和泰律师事务所合伙人冯超律师随后登场，他带来了题为“前沿性不正当竞争案件的法律适用问题”的主题演讲。冯律师结合曾代理的实际案例，分析了特许经营语境下的不正当竞争行为认定。他还从数据保护相关问题切入，指出若干可能构成不正当竞争的行为。

接下来，论坛邀请到了泰和泰律师事务所律师、西北政法大学经济法学院讲师杜坤律师，他的演讲主题是“数字时代反垄断法的挑战与应对”。杜坤律师指出，数字经济所涉及的竞争要素结构和原理已产生了巨大变化，因此，对反垄断法的理论框架和规制体系予以重构，对我国反垄断法来说既是挑战也是机遇。

活动随后进入茶歇时间，各位与会宾客与演讲嘉宾们展开了热烈交流。 

茶歇过后，带来精彩演讲的是北京大学博士、新亚欧陆海联运通道研究所所长Saule Koshanova女士，题目是“‘一带一路’框架下哈萨克斯坦与中国在运输及物流领域的合作——以哈萨克斯坦在连云港的物流基地为例”。Saule Koshanova女士指出，哈中关系已开启“黄金30周年”新篇章，运输和物流作为哈萨克斯坦的主要经济部门，蕴藏着无限潜力。

随后，论坛迎来了西安交通大学法学院外籍教授乌舒洛娃• 索菲娅• 拉玛扎诺夫娜女士，她的演讲题目为“投资中亚，一个地区-无限机会”。索菲娅女士介绍了中亚五国的历史和概况，并针对投资中亚五国风险最小化展开剖析，并就如何挖掘中亚地区的全部潜力给出了五大建议。

论坛随后迎来重磅的话题讨论环节。本场讨论由西北政法大学王瀚教授主持，邀请到西安仲裁委员会副主任徐文新先生、万科集团西北区域法务与审计监察负责人韩磊先生、泰和泰律师事务所魏婷婷律师展开精彩的讨论。

王瀚教授邀请各位嘉宾，就“一带一路”背景下企业的多重机遇与法律人的积极赋能这一话题分享见解。

徐文新先生表示，近年来涉外法律服务领域非常热门，受到企业、法律从业者、仲裁机构的热切关注。在他看来，如何发挥中国仲裁机构优势、扩大中国司法在国际社会上的影响力，是仲裁机构努力的方向。

韩磊先生则从企业法务角度分享了经验。他直言，企业关注的风险一直处在变化之中。以万科为例，旗下各个业务都需要大量的涉外法律人才。因此，企业法务需要“对外交朋友”，甄别真正能够为企业提供帮助、和企业法务同频的外部律师，在构建信任的前提下，通过专业素养赢取挑战。

魏婷婷律师表示，“一带一路”大背景下，外部律师如何助力企业做好初期风险防范确实是值得深思的问题。应从前期的非诉业务开始，就致力于为企业设计完善前期风险防范体系，同时结合后期仲裁诉讼的专业实力，从而形成全生态的法律产品。

活动最后，泰和泰律师事务所西安办公室主任姚子奇律师带来总结发言。他对各位嘉宾的到来再次表示感谢，并指出，各位专家为本次论坛增添了无限色彩，也为现场讨论带来了深度和广度。姚主任呼吁法律界同仁以本次论坛为新的起点，共同推动“一带一路”商事法律服务走向更加专业、更加高效、更加创新的新赛道。

泰和泰（西安）律师事务所管委会成员陈平律师告诉ALB：“泰和泰西安办于2018年2月份正式获批，至今已经走过第五个年头，我们一直在各个法律服务领域精进专业，深入发展。”

泰和泰（西安）律师事务所监事会监事长章龙律师则表示：“法律服务市场与经济发展背景不可分割，西安作为‘一带一路’核心城市，我们一边储备人才、一边落于行动，在实践中将理论进一步深化与提升，实现了跨境业务的突破和跨境法律服务人才的成长。”

在与会者热烈的掌声中，2024一带一路国际商事法律服务高峰论坛圆满落幕。ALB始终期待为法律人创造有价值的交流平台，感谢各位参会嘉宾和演讲者对本次论坛的支持，期待不久后再见！

 

GALLERY