About

In his nearly 30 years working in the Sinochem legal team, Lemin Yu has witnessed the transformation of China’s economy from the front row. Indeed, as one of the pioneers who helped the company gain an understanding of international legal regimes, Yu has played his own part in the story. Shortly after joining Sinochem – now a major player in the distribution of petrochemicals and the exploration and production of oil – Yu was seconded to phosphate producer US Agri-Chemicals Corporation. The company became a division of Sinochem in 1989, marking one of the first major Chinese outbound investments. Yu’s time at US Agri-Chemicals Corporation and his subsequent involvement in the acquisition gave him invaluable experience on how to approach international legal and business processes. When Sinochem’s legal affairs were devolved to a new department operating independently from the executive office in 1995, Yu was handed the position of deputy general manager. He has since played a major role in building the legal team and educating it in international deal structures and documentation. Renowned for his expertise in corporate and commercial law, Yu has overseen the acquisition of billions of dollars in assets, helping Sinochem to become an internationally-facing company that owns hundreds of global subsidiaries and controls a number of listed entities. He was appointed to his current position as general counsel in 2013.