CPEC law diplomacy: Zoao Law Firm and IIRMR sign MOU

In the backdrop of blazing the trail of Pak-China legal cooperation, first ever Chinese law Firm “Zoao Law Firm” has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pakistan’s Think Tank “Institute of International Relations and Media Research (IIRMR).

MOU has marked an opening of new window of Sino-Pak tie-up in the spectrum of law few days before upcoming visit of PM Shahbaz Sharif to China in the first week of June that might be harbinger of unveiling of CPEC phase II.

IIRMR president Yasir Habib Khan said that under the framework of MOU, IIRMR and Zoao Law Firm will jointly organize seminars, conferences, consultative dialogues, and debates on legal issues, Pakistan jurisprudence, taxation intricacies, intellectual properties rights, enterprise legislations, registrations, certifications to sensitize Pakistan law stakeholders and Chinese companies working in Pakistan keeping in view local law dynamics, paradigms and systems.

“We will also collaborate to enhance people-to-people exchange in the area of legal fraternity by exploring untapped law landscape and guidelines,” he added.

Zoao Law Firm Managing Director Cheng Deyong said that MOU with IIRMR will break the new ground of Pak-China law collaborations. “This area remained unexplored over the last many years. Now it is high time to make profound reflection on the legal ecosystem in Pakistan. Zoao Law Firm and IIRMR will work side by side for bridging Pakistan legal fraternity with Chinese companies in the country to foster deeper legal connectivity,” he added.

“Zoao Law Firm, legal aid for Chinese community in Pakistan, is a dynamic and professional law firm that specializes in providing high-quality legal services to Chinese clients in Pakistan. As the only Chinese law firm currently operating in Pakistan, we are committed to facilitating the development of Chinese clients in the region by offering comprehensive legal services that are tailored to meet their specific needs,” Zoao Law Firm Managing Director Cheng Deyong said
He said that we understand the unique challenges and opportunities that Chinese entities face when investing and operating in Pakistan. Under the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, we have provided in-depth legal support and services for Chinese-funded enterprises for their investment and dispute resolution in Pakistan. We have also maintained close cooperation with Chinese Embassy & Consulates and provided a full range of in-field cross-border legal services for Chinese entities in Pakistan,” he concluded.

Cheng said that besides the Chinese lawyers, ZOAO has hired the Pakistani lawyers and legal experts.

He stressed that currently Chinese and Pakistani lawyers have already made great achievements in providing Pakistani legal services to overseas Chinese and Chinese enterprises in Pakistan, which has promoted mutual understanding and trust between lawyers in both countries.

“However, he said that due to the different laws, politics, languages and cultures between Pakistan and China, there are still many risks that may be encountered in business collaboration, which are often transformed into legal risks in the end. Reducing legal risk is a highly professional and systematic work, and the establishment of a team of Chinese lawyers who can resolve legal disputes in Pakistan is a necessary requirement for reducing legal risk,” Cheng Deyong further added.