The legal team at Zhonglun W&D Law Firm, Interlaw’s partner firm in China, have successfully assisted a Chinese new energy mining enterprise with compliance work related to the company’s investments in Zimbabwe. The project was led by Steven Lisi Zhou, deputy managing partner at Zhonglun W&D’s Shenzhen office.

The project faced several challenges, including differences between the two common and civil law jurisdictions of Zimbabwe and China, respectively; complex compliance requirements and opaque policies; and uncertainty over the judicial interpretation and enforcement practices in Zimbabwe, among others.    

By leveraging legal technology, the team enhanced due diligence efficiency and provided real-time updates on regulatory and policy changes to the client’s headquarters and branch offices. The team also offered innovative forward-looking advice, including tax optimization and equity protection strategies. This approach enabled the client to mitigate potential risks, optimize operational structures, and ensure compliance in a complex business environment, in turn providing robust legal support for the client’s global expansion strategy.   

Commenting on the project, Steven said, “Through close, cross-border collaboration with our partners in Zimbabwe and by employing innovative legal practices, my team and I ensured the client’s operations remained compliant within a complex and challenging legal environment.”