Horizons is an international corporate advisory for today’s global decision-makers investing in China

Less than 30 days till the world’s largest import-themed expo, CIIE will be held in Shanghai from 5 to 10 November 2021, and Horizons Corporate Advisory has been invited to exhibit for the second time.

As an international advisory with nearly 40 years of experience in global business and advising foreign companies entering China, Horizons is honoured to participate again in this prestigious event.

PRESIDENT XI JINPING first announced the CIIE annual trade fair at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, with the first expo held in November 2018. Foreign direct investment (“FDI”) in the mainland is rising year on year, and CIIE is pivotal in assisting foreign goods and services launching in China and reaching Chinese consumers. Equally, the high international media coverage coupled with national and local government support offers foreign companies a crucial platform to generate business opportunities, strengthen international trade and cooperation with key industry players.

As part of the advisory’s exhibition, Horizons will highlight and discuss the most recent trends in laws and rules for foreign companies engaged in or with China.

With the consistently changing business landscape, businesses face challenges in navigating through numerous regulations. Many cross-border investment issues remain steeped in cultural and language barriers, especially for investments in unfamiliar jurisdictions. Horizons offer foreign investors engaged in China a local gateway to facilitate their investments. We successfully leverage multidisciplinary professionals, including the China Collaborative Group (CCG), to allow the client to speak with a local advisor in the comfort of their home country or region and erase language and cultural difficulties. The local team continuously follows the investment, so the controlling dashboard of the investment in China is always in the investor’s hands.

Dr Danny Luk, Horizons Senior Equity Partner

“Horizons’ success last year at the third CIIE generated strong developments for 2021, including Horizons facilitating several investments in the technology sector. China’s strong economic recovery from COVID-19 and regulation reforms that optimise the business environment have attracted robust foreign direct investment (“FDI”). Specifically, FDI in China surged to 28.7 per cent year on year to CNY 607.84 billion (USD) 90.96 billion from January to June 2021. CIIE for the professional services industry is pivotal for developing relations with FDI and industry leaders. The FDI landscape has significantly changed over the past years with the digitalisation of administrative and tax procedures. As a result, legal obligations cannot be neglected, and violations can result in serious liabilities.”

Dr Roberto Gilardino, Horizons Regional Partner, Asia, and Additional Countries

“For Horizons, our participation at CIIE enables us to be amidst the action and within the significant exchange of western and Chinese entrepreneurs. The priority is to seize the opportunities, further our understanding of decision-makers and generate business projects. Equally, we remain committed to providing practical advice to our clients, which extends beyond the mere law and tax opinions and procedures. Our expertise offers clients updated know-how, seasoned experience, and an ability to anticipate challenges. Therefore we remain steeped in reality and practicality as opposed to the traditional approach of typical law firms.

In 2021 we achieved successful and tangible results from the third CIIE, which propelled Horizons’ recognition as an avant-garde corporate advisory. In addition, from the connections generated in our participation, we effectively facilitated several acquisitions in 2021. Therefore, we anticipate good outcomes from this year’s participation to further projects in 2022.”

Dr Lucia Myriam Netti, Horizons Regional Partner for EMEA, Russia, Belarus

“The third CIIE offered numerous opportunities to increase our exposure with foreign and Chinese companies. Specifically, we were contacted by industrial associations in the EMEA region to co-host several webinar series on investing in China and the recent regulation changes. Whilst entering China as a foreigner remains complicated, many international clients remain committed to the China market and aware of the prospects. However, investing in China today is substantially different from the previous years. Currently, we are working with chambers of commerce to facilitate a deeper understanding of China and the market by linking opportunities presented by CIIE with Italian companies.”

Despite the pandemic, CIIE 2020 attracted approximately 400,000 visitors, 411 new products, technologies, and services were exhibited, and a total value of 72.62 billion USD in intended deals were signed. This year’s CIIE boasts an exhibition area of 360,000 square meters for enterprises.

If you want to know more about Horizons’ participation in CIIE this year, please contact Ms Miranda Dong at hb.dong@horizons-advisory.com. We look forward to you joining our CIIE experience.