Mayer Brown Asia

The summer edition of Asia Tax Bulletin, authored by Pieter de Ridder, discusses the noticeable development of the Pillar 2, which involves the global minimum tax of 15% initiated by the OECD and endorsed by over 100 jurisdictions around the world, including most Asian countries. The publication also covers its implications on tax planning and compliance for specific types of businesses, and how Asian local governments are reviewing their tax programmes to remain competitive. In individual chapters, Pieter also looks at recent tax updates in Asia Pacific countries, including Taiwan's new Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) law, Malaysia's recent relaxation of conditions for foreign income tax exemption of foreign dividends, Singapore's new transfer pricing guidelines and much more. https://lnkd.in/gy6m_diV If you wish to receive the complete Asia Tax Bulletin with detailed discussions, please register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/gfdmsSum #Tax #Asia #AsiaTaxBulletin

The Sustainability Committee of Hong Kong office organised a visit to the V Cycle plastic recycling factory last Saturday. A total of 15 staff and family members visited the facility to gain practical knowledge about recycling plastics. All participants took part in an in-depth learning session on the plastic waste issue in Hong Kong and the 'Three Rs' concept (reduce, reuse, and recycle). They also had a chance to work alongside the elderly workers employed by the factory, to participate in tasks such as sorting a variety of plastics and using heat guns to remove labels from plastic containers. A tour of the factory was also conducted to educate participants on the functions of the machines used in the process of converting plastics into sustainable products. The visit was truly insightful and educational, inspiring us to conserve the environment through recycling. Camila Chan, Kenneth Choi, Win Lau, Stella Ng, Jessica van der Kamp, Carmen Wong, Helen Yu #HongKong #PlasticRecycling #Recycling

Congratulations to Tom Crane for being recognised in Asian Legal Business' "Singapore Rising Stars 2024". This recognition shines a spotlight on up and coming lawyers based in Singapore who have shown outstanding performance in their work and earned praise from colleagues, superiors and clients alike. #RisingStar #Singapore 

A recent ruling by the Hong Kong Court of First Instance confirmed that the Labour Tribunal has a wide discretionary power to order the payment of security. In this Legal Update, Hong Tran, co-firm practice leader of the global Employment and Benefits Group, looks at the considerations made by the Labour Tribunal in ordering security, and provides tips for employers to avoid similar issues when defending a claim. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gtJPFjvh #HongKong #EmploymentClaim #EmploymentLaw

Mayer Brown is proud contributor of two chapters in Lexology Panoramic Guide to Data Protection & Privacy 2025. The two chapters provide an overview of the legislative framework governing data protection and privacy in China and Hong Kong. Mayer Brown contributors Gabriela Kennedy and Joshua Woo offer insights into the data privacy laws in these two jurisdictions as well practical examples of use cases and considerations for handling data breaches together with best practices for data governance and data management. They also look at expected legislative trends for 2025. Read the full chapters: https://lnkd.in/gun-gH2D (subscription only) #DataProtection #DataPrivacy #HongKong

In collaboration with the The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) 香港社會服務聯會 (社聯) NGO Governance Team and lawyers from the in-house team of BNP Paribas, Mayer Brown hosted “The Golden Key to Unlock Good Governance: Legal Consciousness” legal luncheon for a group of dedicated board directors of NGOs that are offering a diverse range of services, from rehabilitation services, elderly services to child and youth services in the community.   NGO board directors have a very important role to play in helping their organisations identify potential legal risks in daily operation, in addition to their many other responsibilities. It is essential for board directors to stay “legally conscious”, i.e. knowing how, when and what kind of legal issues to bring to the attention of their organisations.   To instil such mindset in the board members, the luncheon was conducted in the format of a facilitated group discussion, during which lawyers from Mayer Brown and BNP Paribas, including: Karen Chan, Anthony Lo, Martin So, Jasmine Y K Chiu, Andrew Koon, Joey Lee, Inez Ma, Dennis L. and Chris HK L., acted as facilitators. They led the participants through a series of hypothetical scenarios from faulty administrative work to questionable board composition. These scenarios are adapted from real-life dilemmas, aiming to help our participants understand the responsibilities of board members in such situations.   Our partner Jasmine Y K Chiu rounded up the discussion with a list of key take-away points. In response to the ongoing effort by the private sector to diversify their boards, she also recommended a range of community resources for NGO boards to upskill and promote diversity.   Our appreciation goes to both the Hong Kong Council of Social Service NGO Governance Team and BNP Paribas for partnering with us on this meaningful project to empower those who are serving our community.   #Probono #BoardDiversity #NGO #HongKong

In an article published by Wen Wei Po, Hannah Ha, Asia Chair of Mayer Brown, highlights that Hong Kong's pivotal role as a well-established international financial hub, is significantly bolstered by its esteemed legal services industry. With a long-standing history that goes beyond a century, Hong Kong's law firms excel at assisting mainland enterprises investing globally, offering tailored legal compliance services, risk management strategies, anti-corruption risk assessments, and crisis management services. These firms have deep local cultural understanding and extensive international experience, actively providing advice that assists clients in obtaining maximum benefits in businesses. Looking forward, Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique strengths and resources to navigate global economic shifts, actively engaging in initiatives like the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road. Hannah also highlighted that Hong Kong is also well-positioned to drive financial innovation and support industry transformation through comprehensive technological progress. The city seeks to capture diverse opportunities in green finance, fintech, infrastructure investments, and RMB internationalisation while aspiring to become a global leader in virtual assets and cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain and Web 3.0. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g7MZgypm (Chinese only) #HongKong #LegalServices #FinancialHub

In light of the recently published China Antitrust Law Enforcement Annual Report (2023) (Report), co-leader of our Antitrust and Competition team in Asia and co-leader of our global Corporate & Securities practice Hannah Ha provides insights into the antitrust enforcement activities and legislative developments in China over the past year. She also delves into the anticipated trends for the second half of 2024 ahead, taking into account the insights drawn from the Report and the developments observed in the first half of 2024. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gfEarVdH #China #Antitrust

Mayer Brown is a proud sponsor of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Youth Entrepreneurship Competition 2024 organised by Po Leung Kuk and co-organised with Sunwah Global Youth Innovation Center. This programme is designed to provide holistic support and opportunities for aspiring youth entrepreneurs to expand their professional network and help them establish their presence in GBA. The competition attracted over 40 teams who presented creative business ideas that integrate technology and sustainability, such as introducing mobile trash compact machines and powder-form cleaning products without plastic packaging. Over the past three months, a mixed team of our lawyers from Corporate, Litigation and Employment practices (Billy Au, Jason Leung, Jennifer Tam, Raymond Xie, Vanessa Lo, Michelle Man, Inez Ma & Evan Zhou) hosted four online seminars on essential legal knowledge that youth entrepreneurs have to know. More than 120 participants benefited from learning about company formation, dispute resolution, basics of contract law and employment law. Our three partners Terence Tung, Chester Wong and Vincent Law also took part as judges of the competition and witnessed firsthand the ingenuity of the participating teams. The top 10 selected teams were invited to showcase their winning ideas in a “roadshow presentation” during the prize presentation ceremony which was held in our Hong Kong office. Once again, thank you Po Leung Kuk and their team of dedicated staff in organising this meaningful event. Going forward, we will continue to work with our community partners to provide a platform on which young people can pursue their aspirations. #GBA #Probono #HongKong

Proud to share that partners Paul Fakler and Gabriela Kennedy are named by WIPR - World IP Review as WIPR Leaders. The WIPR 2024 Leaders are the world’s leading intellectual property lawyers covering the areas of patent, trademark and copyright law. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gNtCw9bE #intellectualproperty #IP