Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.

Founded in 1920, Gide is a leading international law firm operating out of 11 offices worldwide. With over 550 lawyers and legal consultants drawn from 35 different nationalities, the firm provides specialist quality legal services in the most complex areas of national and international business law.

Gide has provided a broad range of legal services to clients in Asia for nearly 30 years. The practice is handled by a team of Western and Chinese lawyers, working from Beijing and Shanghai. Its lawyers are highly experienced in each of the various sectors of national and international business law. The team co-operates closely with the firm’s specialist teams in Paris and its other international offices. Gide’s work extends throughout all of China, depending on where negotiations are taking place or where its clients’ businesses are based. If required, the China team also works with local lawyers and legal consultants in the regions where clients conduct business.

Recent assignments include:

• Advised Stellantis N.V. on the establishment of Mobile Drive, a joint venture in partnership with Foxconn to develop breakthrough smart cockpits solutions and personalized connected services;
• Advised ICICLE, the established natural and durable fashion brand in China, on the creation of ICCF Group (Icicle Carven China France), uniting ICICLE and the Parisian fashion house CARVEN, that is owned by ICICLE since 2018;
• Advised PSA Group on the sale of its 50% equity interest in Chang'an PSA Automobiles Co., Ltd. to Bao Neng Group;
• Advised Air Liquide, a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, on the creation of a joint venture with Chengdu Huaqi Houpu Holding Co., Ltd. to develop hydrogen refilling stations for fuel cell electric vehicles
• Advised Chinalco on highly strategic mining investments in Guinea: the development of the Boffa Nord and Boffa Sud bauxite mining blocks, as well as the Simandou iron ore project, one of the largest mining projects in the world;
• Advised Quechen Silicon Chemical Co., Ltd., the leader in silica manufacturing in Asia and owner of the biggest single silica production base in the world, on its greenfield investment in France (on the land of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, the largest industrial port in the Mediterranean region);
• Advised Semir, the leader in kidswear fashion in China, on the acquisition of European leader in premium children’s fashion Kidiliz;
• Advised Veolia Environnement on its first and second issues of Panda Bonds for an amount of RMB 1 billion each. Veolia Environnement was the first French and the second European corporate issuer to complete a private bond placement on the Chinese domestic market;
• Advised Bank of Communications, China’s fifth-largest commercial bank, on the establishment of a branch of its Luxembourg subsidiary in France;
• Advised Total on the sale of its China polystyrene business to INEOS Styrolution;
• Advised Legrand on its purchase of Shenzhen Clever Electronic Co., Ltd.;
• Advised Renault on its joint venture with Chinese automaker Brilliance;
• Advised China Harbour Engineering Corporation on the formation of a joint venture company with Bolloré and CMA-CGM in Cameroon to operate the container terminal at the deep water port of Kribi;
• Advised Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) on the establishment of the Sino-Congolese Bank for Africa (BSCA) in the Republic of Congo, along with the Congolese government and other public and private partners. This landmark transaction is ABC’s first overseas joint venture bank project and creates the first Sino-African green-field bank;
• Advised Vallourec on its HKD 846.6m acquisition of 50.61% of the entire issued share capital of Anhui Tianda Oil Pipe Co., Ltd.;
• Advised Chinese listed company Inner Mongolia Furui Medical Science on its investment in a French company specialising in medical imaging software and services for oncology clinical trials, cancer screening, and clinical practice;
• Advised Canglong Optoelectronic Technology, part of FiberHome Technologies Group, a major Chinese state-owned enterprise specialising in optical fibre and cable products, on the acquisition of a 70% stake in a French high-tech company;
• Advised Golden Concord Group (GCL), the world’s leading photovoltaic material manufacturer, on the acquisition of a majority stake in a geothermal power generation plant in Turkey owned by Dubai-based energy company Ecolog;
• Advising Engie on its JV and cooperation project with Chinese state-owned Sichuan Energy Investment Distributed Energy Systems, involving the development, construction and operation of a cooling, heating and energy production (tri-generation) facility for a central business district in Sichuan Province;
• Advised China Exim Bank on the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent’s subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise by China Huaxin Post & Telecommunication Economy Development Center;
• Advised luxury French fashion house SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Sandro Men) on its acquisition of 100% of the share capital in Hong Kong company AZ Retail Ltd;
• Advising Renault on its JV with Dongfeng Motor Corporation, China’s second-largest vehicle manufacturer. Based in Wuhan, Hebei Province the JV will see Renault invest RMB 11 billion (US$ 1.8 bn);
• Advised Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank on the sale of CLSA to China’s CITICS for US$ 1.252bn;
• Advised the giant Chinese agribusiness COFCO on the acquisition of Chateau de Viaud, a leading vineyard set in the prestigious Lalande-de-Pomerol wine growing area in France;
• Advised SEB, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cookware and small domestic appliances, on the acquisition of a further stake in Zhejiang Supor, listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.