The 2026 Chinese-Language Lawyers Conference, also known as the Chinese-Language Lawyers Shenzhen Visit, was held in Shenzhen from 2 to 4 September. Guided by the Guangdong Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and jointly organized by the Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the Shenzhen Municipal Justice Bureau and the Qianhai Authority, the conference was themed “Empowering Enterprises Expanding Overseas, Connecting Asia-Pacific Rule of Law, and Serving APEC Cooperation.” It brought together more than 500 Chinese-language lawyer representatives from 58 countries and regions, overseas Chinese community leaders, scholars, enterprises in Shenzhen and representatives of relevant industry associations.
Author: Lawyer Zhang Jingxinyue, PRC-qualified lawyer | Registered Foreign Lawyer in Singapore
This year marks the “China Year” for APEC, and the topics of the conference were closely connected with the practical needs of internationalizing enterprises and cross-border legal services. The main program on the morning of 2 September included a Qianhai policy presentation, the signing of a Memorandum on Cross-Border Cooperation among Legal Service Institutions, and keynote presentations. In the afternoon, the conference held several dedicated sessions on public-interest legal consultation, cross-border arbitration, internationalization compliance for enterprises and cross-border legal cooperation. These sessions addressed overseas expansion, dispute resolution, compliant operations and cooperation between legal-service providers in China and abroad.
The public-interest legal consultation program was further divided into APEC, ASEAN and China–Europe directions. The cross-border arbitration session focused on dispute resolution in Asia-Pacific economic and trade cooperation. The internationalization compliance session focused on enterprises' compliance needs in global operations, while the cross-border legal cooperation session addressed legal services and cross-border collaboration in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The conference also included an exhibition of legal technology and legal-service institutions from APEC members.
On 3 September, the participating Chinese-language lawyers travelled to Futian, Bao'an, Longgang, Longhua, Pingshan and Guangming in Shenzhen, visiting industrial parks, enterprises and local legal-service institutions. On the morning of 4 September, the program extended to Shenzhen University, where participants continued discussions on the training of lawyers handling foreign-related matters. From keynote presentations and professional matchmaking to enterprise visits and talent exchanges, the conference covered multiple practical scenarios in enterprise internationalization and cross-border legal services.
For the Zhongxin Legal Information team, which has long been involved in China–Singapore and Southeast Asian cross-border matters, the Shenzhen visit also provided an opportunity to develop a concentrated understanding of the professional focus and business characteristics of lawyers in different jurisdictions. Chinese-language lawyers who have practiced locally for many years in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas exchanged views in one place. The discussion quickly moved to specific business issues, including matters of concern to local enterprises and Chinese clients, the professional focus of different lawyers, and forms of cooperation that may arise in cross-border projects.
01 Cross-Border Business Is Becoming More Specialized, and Overseas Legal Resources Must Be Matched More Precisely
The legal needs arising from enterprise internationalization now cover equity investment, corporate governance, corporate compliance, international arbitration, overseas asset recovery, intellectual property and employment matters. Even within the same country, lawyers may have very different areas of focus. Some have long worked on corporate investment and mergers and acquisitions, some focus on dispute resolution, and others have built practices in intellectual property, employment, family matters, immigration or regulation in specific industries.
Once a project enters a new jurisdiction, the selection of lawyers and teams becomes more specific. Industry background, areas of expertise, the types of projects previously handled and actual local practice capability all affect whether a team is suitable. During the Shenzhen visit, the Zhongxin Legal Information team made further contact with lawyers from Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, and developed a more direct understanding of the business focus, project experience and cooperation practices of some teams. These contacts will still need to be screened and developed further in light of specific projects.
02 Multi-Jurisdictional Projects Are Becoming More Common, Making Project Coordination Increasingly Important
In China–Singapore and Southeast Asian business, it is now common for one project to connect several countries and regions. In some Southeast Asian projects, a Chinese enterprise may establish a holding, financing, trade-contracting or regional-management entity in Singapore, while its actual production, sales and personnel are distributed across markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. As the project progresses, it may also involve company law, taxation, employment, licensing, contractual arrangements and dispute resolution. Cross-border disputes and asset-recovery matters may likewise connect lawyers and other professional institutions in China, Singapore and the location of the assets.
Within this project structure, professional resources must be assembled according to the specific issues involved. The client's commercial arrangements, the scope of work in each jurisdiction, coordination of timing among different teams, fee arrangements and the relationship among legal opinions all require continuing coordination.
This is also an area in which Zhongxin Legal Information has continued to build experience through its cross-border work: first clarify the project itself, then assemble lawyers and financial and tax professionals from China, Singapore and other jurisdictions according to each stage, while maintaining coordination among the parties' information, schedules and work products as the project progresses.
The global legal resources brought together by this conference also created additional professional points of contact that can be explored for future cooperation on multi-jurisdictional projects.
03 From Conference Contacts to Concrete Projects
One of the important values of a major international legal event is that it enables professionals who were previously dispersed across different countries and regions to establish more direct connections. Once these contacts enter actual business work, they still need to be tested and refined through specific projects.
Going forward, Zhongxin Legal Information will continue to learn more about the overseas legal resources contacted during the conference in light of its existing work, including the lawyers' areas of expertise, industry experience, representative projects and practical methods of cooperation. In matters involving Chinese enterprises entering Singapore and Southeast Asia, cross-border investment and mergers and acquisitions, multi-jurisdictional project coordination, cross-border dispute resolution, overseas asset recovery and enforcement of judgments, the team will also cooperate with lawyers and other professional institutions in different countries and regions according to project needs.
Building a resource network is an ongoing process. A conference can establish a connection, while fee arrangements, communication practices, working rhythm and quality of deliverables require repeated cooperation before a stable working understanding can develop.
04 Continuing to Expand the Cross-Border Professional Cooperation Network
Another clear feature of the conference was that many participating lawyers had practiced in their respective countries for more than ten or even several decades. Their knowledge extends beyond the written law of the local jurisdiction to regulatory practice, court operations, commercial customs and the way specific matters are handled in practice.
For cross-border legal services, this long-term local experience has substantial practical value. At the same time, the commercial background of Chinese enterprises, legal issues on the China side and the points requiring coordination among multiple jurisdictions must all be considered as part of the project as a whole.
Zhongxin Legal Information will continue to be based in Singapore, follow legal and commercial practice in China, Singapore and Southeast Asia, and gradually expand its connections with professional lawyers in other major jurisdictions. Whether the matter involves enterprise investment and operations, cross-border transactions, dispute resolution or enforcement against assets overseas, the team will continue to organize appropriate professional resources according to the actual needs of each project and build experience in cooperation across jurisdictions.
The 2026 Chinese-Language Lawyers Conference has ended, but the connections established during the conference continue. For cross-border legal services, Zhongxin Legal Information will continue to maintain contact with lawyers in different jurisdictions through concrete projects and professional exchanges, and further develop cross-border cooperation among China, Singapore, Southeast Asia and other major markets through practical collaboration.
This article is general information and not legal advice. Specific matters require assessment by appropriately qualified professionals.