Brief Commentary on the Foreign Investment Law (Draft) Changes, Highlights and Expectation On December 26, 2018, the National People’s Congress published the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (Draft) (the “New Draft”) in order to solicit public opinion. The New Draft is a revised version of an earlier draft of the Foreign … Continued
Executive Summary/Highlights: Global M&A volume in 2018 reached US$4.0 trillion, a level achieved only once before in the last decade (2015). 2018 was a notably strong year for cross-border M&A, despite escalating trade tensions and anti-globalist rhetoric. US$1.6 trillion (39%) of deals in 2018 were cross-border transactions, approximating recent highs in terms of both dollar … Continued
Executive Summary/Highlights: Global M&A in 2018 is at record levels, and at the current pace could approach 2007’s all-time high of almost US$5 trillion. Cross-border dealmaking has surged, with the volume of cross-border M&A over the first three quarters of 2018 already far surpassing that of all of 2017. Likewise, the market for mega-deals remains … Continued
Executive Summary/Highlights: The global M&A environment continued to show historic strength in 2018, as global deal volume reached nearly US$1.3 trillion for the second quarter and US$2.5 trillion for the first half of the year. Global M&A activity has enjoyed a steady climb over the last several quarters and has increased sharply since Q3 2017, … Continued
Summary There are numerous examples of Automotive JVs that have been operating successfully and profitably in China for more than a decade. With the imminent removal of the shareholding cap on foreign investment in automotive manufacturing, there will be opportunities for Chinese and foreign parties to alter their equity holdings, including being able to buy … Continued
Highlights: From October 1, 2016, a new FDI administration system will be launched in China. Under the new system, MOFCOM approval will not be required for incorporation or acquisition of a foreign invested enterprise (“FIE”), unless its business is on the Nationwide Negative List released by the State Council. This will increase efficiency for incorporation … Continued
Highlights A new foreign investment regulatory regime applies from 1 December 2015. The ‘substantial interest’ threshold above foreign investors must notify Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), has increased from 15% to 20%. Specific rules now apply to foreign investments in the agricultural sector, following the introduction of the concepts of ‘agribusiness’ and ‘agricultural land’. … Continued
Highlights Due to RMB depreciation and foreign exchange fluctuation, PRC authorities have tightened review on the truthfulness of outbound investment, for purposes of combating exchange arbitrage and underground private banks. SAFE launched a new system to supervise individuals’ foreign exchange activities since January 1, 2016, and will list violative individuals on a “Supervised List”. SAFE … Continued
Main Article In our annual forecast of the year ahead for Canadian competition and foreign investment review law, we evaluate how developments in 2015 will influence these areas of the law in 2016. Our top issues and trends to watch for this year include the following: The impact of the new federal government. Although foreign … Continued
Highlights: Foreign investment projects in China are categorized into encouraged, permitted, restricted and prohibited projects. The 2014 revisions to the Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign Investment were made with the intention to substantially reduce the restricted projects, to loosen the restrictions on foreign shareholding percentage, and to primarily promote the opening-up of the manufacturing … Continued
