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Article contributed by Sumitra Penesar, Officer, Professional Standards and Development Committee, with photos by Ambran Abu Bakar, Administrative Assistant

On 15 October 2009, the Professional Standards and Development Committee (PSDC) welcomed Will Fung at the auditorium of the Bar Council to give his talk on “Doing Business in China”.  Will, an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya and now a senior Foreign Counsel/Partner in the Grandall Legal Group (Beijing), is mainly involved in corporate and commercial law and also advises foreign clients on mergers and acquisitions.

As part of the Malaysian Bar International Practice Series, Will delivered his talk to an audience of about 40 people, outlining the practical aspects which businesses ought to keep in mind when considering a business venture in China.  Elaborating on this, he spoke about the importance of alliances and competitiveness, and understanding the culture and business practices of the Chinese people.  He said it was important to bear in mind that there is no single homogenous Chinese businessperson as the culture and practices vary from region to region, while citing some examples to prove his point.

Will then described the legal structure and framework in China.  Following that, he briefly touched on the various local government ministries that an investor or legal advisor will come across in China and shared his view on the optimal business and investment strategies for doing business in China.

At the end of the talk, Will graciously answered a few questions, which included queries on his strategies on dealing with Chinese lawyers as a Malaysian lawyer and the scale fees of Chinese law firms.  During the session, he commented that he believed Malaysian lawyers are generally underpaid, as compared to other jurisdictions.  He also offered answers to queries about arbitration in China and the efficacy of the courts and arbitration there.