Huanghe XIAO

Representative Matters

• Cross-Border Debt Restructuring
• Served as exclusive PRC legal counsel for a Hong Kong SAR listed corporate group in a over HKD 10 billion cross-border debt restructuring. The mandate covered mainland asset due diligence, validity assessment of onshore security interests, compliant repayment framework design aligned with offshore restructuring arrangements, domestic creditor negotiations, and judicial risk segregation — delivering a closed-loop PRC legal infrastructure for the offshore scheme.
• Led a comprehensive distressed-debt workout for an A-share listed company with total liabilities exceeding RMB 4 billion, coordinating judicial reorganisation proceedings, negotiated settlements with financial creditors, release of seized assets, and resolution of cascading litigation risks across multiple jurisdictions.

• Financial Disputes and NPL Recovery
• Acted as lead counsel for a listed commercial bank's Shenzhen branch in a RMB 900 million loan recovery action — among his several nine-figure banking mandates. Represented the same bank in a separate RMB 400 million financial loan dispute, successfully preserving the defendant's listed-company equity through asset preservation and obtaining a favorable judgment.
• Represented a listed securities firm in a bond arbitration enforcement matter with a principal of over RMB 60 million, recovering full principal and interest over a three-year period through a combination of debt restructuring, asset-for-debt swaps, and enforcement settlements.
• Handled multiple financial leasing disputes with principal amounts ranging from RMB 50 million to RMB 300 million, including matters involving state-owned leasing companies, Hong Kong SAR listed groups, and parallel bankruptcy proceedings.

• Expert Witness and Award Enforcement
• Instructed on multiple occasions by litigating parties and the High Court of Hong Kong SAR as an independent PRC law expert witness. Drafted formal expert reports and attended court hearings for cross-examination on PRC commercial law matters, providing opinions of judicially admissible quality.
• Processed batches of foreign arbitral award recognition and enforcement applications in mainland courts, applying adjudicative insight to anticipate procedural risks and secure executable outcomes.

• Judicial and Arbitral Career
• Mr. Xiao entered the judiciary in 1991 and served across multiple courts over 21 years, holding successive leadership positions at both district and intermediate court levels. His roles ranged from court administration to commercial adjudication oversight and acting head of a foreign commercial division, with trial experience spanning criminal, civil, and foreign-related commercial matters — building integrated capabilities across adjudication, judicial management, and institutional operations.
• During his judicial tenure, he was selected by the court system to pursue a Master of Common Law at the University of Hong Kong (2001–2002) and was conferred an Individual First-Class Merit Citation for outstanding judicial service.
• He subsequently served as Director of the Liaison Department at the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) from 2012 to 2014, where he was responsible for arbitral promotion and stakeholder relations before joining DeHeng.

Education background

• Doctor of Law in Civil and Commercial Law, Wuhan University (2016)
• Master of Common Law (MCL), The University of Hong Kong (2003)
• LLM in Civil and Commercial Law, Southwest University of Political Science and Law (2003)
• LLB, Southwest University of Political Science and Law (1991)

Professional Qualifications

• Bar admission in P.R.China
• Registered Foreign Lawyer, Hong Kong SAR

Professional Affiliations

• Panel Arbitrator, Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
• Lawyer Mediator, Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone People's Court
• Mediator, International Commercial Mediation Center for the Belt and Road
• Council Member, Guangzhou Law Society
• Director, Foreign-Related Rule of Law Research Base, Guangzhou Law Society
• Vice President, Nansha District Law Society, Guangzhou
• In 2024, Mr. Xiao was selected for the Ministry of Justice's national "1+1" Legal Aid Volunteer Program and deployed to Nyingchi, Xizang Autonomous Region, where he provided on-site legal aid services. He also served as retained legal counsel to the Bureau of Justice of Nyingchi until 2025.
• During his Xizang secondment, he represented 22 migrant workers in recovering RMB 800,000 in unpaid wages through appellate proceedings, and served as court-appointed defense counsel in a medical insurance fraud case — producing a 50-page evidentiary analysis that contributed to his client receiving the sole suspended sentence in the case.

Recognitions

• Benchmark Litigation — Ranked for PRC Dispute Resolution (2021–2026)
• ALB China Regional Law Awards — Recipient (2023)
• The Legal 500 — Ranked in China and Asia-Pacific Guides (2024–2026)