On the Establishment of DeHeng Xiongan Office
2023-01-30
On April 1, 2017, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council decided to establish Xiongan New Area in Hebei. This was a major decision and deployment made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core to further promote the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, a millennium plan of great national significance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "the development of Xiongan New Area is a millennium plan" and "we must fully apply the new development philosophy, pursue high-quality development, and strive to create a benchmark for high-quality development in the new era."
On December 5, 2022, the Department of Justice of Hebei Province issued a license to Beijing DeHeng (Xiongan) Law Office, and DeHeng became one of the first law firms to do business in Xiongan New Area, thanks to strong support from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, the Department of Justice of Hebei Province and the Party and Mass Department of Xiongan New Area. The Xiongan Office is the 40th branch office of DeHeng in the mainland, adding another proof of DeHeng serving national strategies and adding to the glory of DeHeng's 30th anniversary.
Since the establishment of Xiongan New Area, a total of 240 key projects have been planned and implemented, with a total investment of more than RMB 800 billion, and so far investment of more than RMB 510 billion has been completed, with a total development area of more than 120 square kilometers. China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd., Sinochem Holdings and China Huaneng have started the construction of their headquarters, four universities and two hospitals have chosen their site, and China Railway’s industrial cluster has also moved into Xiongan. So far, more than 140 central SOEs and institutions have registered here. And in Xiongan New Area, 325 tech enterprises have been included in the national tech enterprise database, and 54 more in the "Little Giant" enterprise database.
Especially in 2022, Xiongan New Area sped up the construction pace. The urban framework was unfolding, urban functions continued to improve, the look of the city was gradually revealed, and the comprehensive carrying capacity continued to increase. It is marching toward the goal of becoming a national "model city" featuring high-quality development in the new era step by step.
With the commencement of various key projects, legal projects concerning land development, demolition and resettlement, financing and investment, and project bidding have grown explosively. As more and more central SOEs and high-tech private enterprises are moving to Xiongan, the market for legal counsel and legal services for investment, mergers and acquisitions, corporate compliance, and listing will have broad prospects. As the number of builders and permanent residents continues to grow, they are in urgent need of legal services regarding dispute mediation, labor and employment, investment and financial management, and legal aid.
As the holder of the honorary title "National Model Primary-level Party Organization", how should DeHeng respond to the "millennium plan of great national significance"? What should DeHeng do to meet the above-mentioned emerging legal needs? How should DeHeng grasp the historic opportunity of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development and the development of the "future city" and the huge market for legal services that comes along?
In response to the needs of the times, DeHeng forged ahead with a pioneering spirit. On his inspection visit to DeHeng, Comrade Cai Qi expressed his hope that DeHeng would become a top law office on the Financial Street that serves diligently both national strategies and the ordinary people. Under Cai's guidance, Director Wang Li, Executive Director Sun Ganghong and Deputy Director Xu Jianjun convened several meetings to discuss the establishment of the Xiongan Office, and successively went to Xiongan to check on the sites and conditions for the establishment of the office. Later, partner Wang Gang was appointed the principal leader of the Xiongan Office and take charge of the office preparation. In as early as May 2018, DeHeng Xiongan Legal Service Center (trial) was inaugurated with the support of the DeHeng Management Committee.
The Xiongan Office is a direct dispatch agency composed of lawyers with rich experience in land development, infrastructure and municipal public utility construction, real estate, major dispute resolution, banking and finance, corporate affairs and securities, cross-border investment and financing, intellectual property rights, tax law, labor and social security, government and public services and dispute resolution, etc. It hopes to provide high-quality legal services for Xiongan New Area and its high-tech enterprises and help them develop fast and in compliance with law. The opening of the office kicked off DeHeng's grand business plan for Xiongan.
As we prepared for the establishment of DeHeng Xiongan Office, Xiongan itself was a big construction site and fumbling its way forward. There was no precedents to learn from, or established process to follow. The challenge of starting from scratch was imaginable. What’s worse, the COVID-19 epidemic was raging, resulting in frequent lockdowns and movement restrictions and lack of personnel. Office leasing, workplace setting, business process building, on-duty personnel assignment... one problem popped up after another and awaited solution.
Fortunately, both the Party Committee and the Management Committee of DeHeng showed full support despite all the difficulties, and the team of Xiongan Office were committed, down-to-earth, thoughtful and highly professional, delivering results that satisfied all stakeholders.
DeHeng Xiongan Office has organized or co-organized such seminars and forums as "Finance and Modern Service Industry for the Development of Xiongan New Area", "First Xiongan High-tech Enterprise Forum", "Seminar on Problems with Construction Contract Disputes and Their Solutions under the Conditions of Judicial Interpretation of Construction Projects II," etc.
Partner Jia Hui published the article "Legal Reflections on the Development of Xiongan New Area" based on the Outline of the Master Plan of Xiongan New Area, in which he analyzes in detail the legal basis, development direction and legal needs in aligning the development of Xiongan New Area and that of Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin.
In August 2018, DeHeng won the bid and became an outside law firm for the Xiongan New Area Land Reserve Center.
In March 2019, the DeHeng team led by Wang Gang and Li Hongyuan was entrusted by the Anxin County Government and the Xiongxian County Government of Xiongan New Area to provide special legal services for the collective land relocation of multiple villages.
In November 2019, DeHeng lawyers were awarded the "Excellent Legal Counsel" title by the Zangang Town CPC Committee of Xiongxian County, and the "Quality Cooperation Award" by the Wangmahu Village Working Camp of Xiongxian County.
In January 2020, DeHeng won the bid and was awarded the mandate as the perennial legal counsel of China Xiongan Group Urban Development Investment Co., Ltd. in the fields of corporate governance, investment and financing, and risk control management for the 2020-2021 period.
In January 2020, DeHeng was rated as "Model Unit in Assistance in Land Expropriation" by the Anxin County Land Expropriation and Relocation Headquarters.
In addition, DeHeng lawyers have provided consulting services for many government departments such as the Public Service Bureau of the Xiongan New Area Administrative Committee, the Party and Mass Work Department of the Party Working Committee and Administrative Committee of Xiongan New Area, and the Land Reserve Center of Xiongan New Area. DeHeng lawyers have also advised companies affiliated to China Xiongan Group and key SOEs closely related to Xiongan's development, as well as many private enterprises and commercial associations such as Xiongan New Area Science and Technology Innovation Enterprise Federation, Rongcheng Federation of Industry and Commerce, and Xiongxian High-tech Enterprise Association, thus comprehensively supporting the development of Xiongan.
Standing at this new starting point, Xiongan has embarked on a new journey and taken on a new test. This future city that embodies the "millennium plan of great national significance" is growing into a model city that is beyond the description of words and meets the yearning of many. DeHeng Xiongan Office will adhere to the tenet of "Professionalism, Ethics, Integrity," gather the wisdom and enthusiasm of DeHeng people, and contribute to the law-based development of Xiongan New Area. It will leverage DeHeng's global legal resources and advantages to facilitate the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and pool DeHeng's volunteering deeds, and deeply participate in primary-level governance and public legal services.
