China Construction Bank news

* M&As, IPOs, securitizations and other financing firsts * Worth over US$50bn in value * Involving more than 10 different jurisdictions * And more than 30 of Asia’s most reputable law firms

Clifford Chance advised the co-ordinating lead arrangers (Citigroup and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) on the US$3.4 billion Integrated Petrochemical Site financing for Sinopec and BASF in Nanjing, PRC.

The Australian Government's US$3.2bn (A$5.58bn) divestment of the Kingsford Smith Airport (Sydney Airport) to the Southern Cross Airports consortium was the largest announced transaction in 2002

Lawyers may be the beneficiaries of PRC Government-approved changes to help commercialise the four asset management companies charged with disposing of the jurisdiction's huge inventory of non-performing loans.

A White & Case team is advising the Chinese banks funding the Guangdong LNG Terminal & Trunkline project financing.

The core Sullcrom team advising Bank of China consisted of Chun Wei, William Chua, Robert Chu, Weiheng Chen, Sami Farhad and Henry Li in Hong Kong and Liu Fang in Beijing.

While deal activity is considerably more buoyant now than it has been in the last few years, recent SFC changes to sponsor rules are keeping the leading investment houses on their toes. Stephen Mulrenan finds out the possible connotations for external counsel

The ability to generate a headline is not always a good thing. But the following 100 lawyers from around the Asia-Pacific region have managed to do just that over the last 12 months

China's largest IPO has put investment banks under pressure as they take the brunt of regulatory concerns about PRC companies going public.

A consortium of banks turned to Lovells for advice on a US$464m loan to a subsidiary of listed infrastructure group Hopewell Holdings.

In 2005 we were transfixed by the demise of Coudert, and for 2006 ALB predicts that all eyes will be on the increasing number of intra-Asian alliances. Watch this space

The sophisticated securitisation market has been damp squib for a lot of firms. However, with the Korean and Japanese markets still active and pilot securitisation underway in China, ALB asks if the market is ready to take off

Bank of America Corporation's US$3bn strategic investment in China Construction Bank was the largest single foreign investment in a Chinese company and the first foreign strategic investment in one of China's 'big four' state-owned banks.

No stopping the one-stop shops

ALB goes in search of the ins and outs of M&A for 2005

Bank of America Corporation's US$3bn strategic investment in China Construction Bank was the largest single foreign investment in a Chinese company and the first foreign strategic investment in one of China's 'big four' state-owned banks.
This headline transaction also stole the show at the third annual ALB China Law Awards

The past year has witnessed a sudden race by foreign banks to enter the Chinese banking market. In 2005 alone, foreign financial institutions invested over US$17bn buying minority stakes in Chinese national and local banks. Some of these deals, such as the US$3.1bn paid by a Royal Bank of Scotland-led consortium for a 10% stake in Bank of China, rank as the largest ever foreign acquisitions in China (see table below).

Lawyers remain tight-lipped in the build-up to Bank of China's 1 June debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Hong Kong public offering tranche launched on 18 May with the global offering expected to be one of the largest initial public offerings in the world this year.

As more pieces have been put together, the jigsaw puzzle of the Chinese legal market starts presents an increasingly integrated and impressive landscape. With the unstoppable economic boom, lawyers' ambitions are surging alongside ALB reports.

Financial institutions worldwide are preparing for the implementation of a major new regulatory accord. ALB looks at what banks, lawyers and their clients need to know