40 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – AUGUST 2024 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM for employees, making it crucial to pay attention to employment issues when investing in Indonesia. Chen then asked what specific issues Chinese enterprises should pay attention to when investing in Indonesia, given the cultural differences between China and Indonesia. Rasjidi used her own experiences to illustrate the many differences in work culture between Chinese and Indonesian workers, such as the frequent “small breaks” Indonesian workers take during work hours, which can create conflicts between the efficiency sought by enterprises and the respect sought by employees. Sunario addressed the issue from three aspects: First, finding common ground and respecting differences; second, understanding the Indonesian cultural context and social operation model; and third, ensuring compliance, building a strong legal team, and collaborating with external legal experts. Mononutu stressed the importance of establishing smooth communication mechanisms with local communities and stakeholders, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, because behind regulations are group interests. The true enforcement of laws is flexible, and establishing dialogue with local communities is essential to providing good legal advice. Chen then asked the panelists to provide suggestions from the perspective of building a local legal team. Mononutu recommended that enterprises make decisions based on their scale and development strategy. For instance, GSK’s legal team in Indonesia is lean but covers all necessary functions. She also advised enterprises to collaborate with local lawyers and plan their future development based on potential risks. Sunario suggested that enterprises collaborate with legal talents at different stages of development, such as partnering with law firms during mergers and acquisitions and building their own legal team during the operational stage. He also recommended establishing an external lawyer cooperation pool based on the type of expertise needed. Rasjidi said foreign companies tend to find local law firm partners through their home country’s law firms. Once operational, companies can consider hiring local lawyers for regular legal services and start building their own legal team as their business scale expands. Lastly, Chen asked the panelists to share their criteria for selecting law firm partners. Rasjidi advised foreign enterprises to establish cooperation with local law firms and have local lawyers guide them to find the most professional services. Sunario emphasized the importance of utilizing local resources while assessing the internationality of law firms. Mononutu pointed out that legal professionals must fully understand the business to seek the most suitable lawyers and stressed the importance of a lawyer’s personal reputation and expertise, in addition to the law firm’s brand. Amid enthusiastic applause from the attendees, the first overseas investment forum co-hosted by ALB and Tiantai concluded successfully. During the evening banquet, Tiantai’s legal experts and legal and business professionals from Chinese and Indonesian enterprises enjoyed dinner in a relaxed atmosphere, exchanging insights and building deeper understanding and friendships. ALB, with editorial and event resources spanning multiple jurisdictions in Asia, looks forward to playing an active role in the going-abroad process of Chinese enterprises and law firms, bridging the legal communities of China and various Asian countries. From left: Chen Cong, Tiantai Law Firm; Edwina Mononutu, GSK; Josef Sunario, PT Datang DSSP Power Indonesia; Ira Thania Rasjidi SH MH, NS BlueScope Indonesia ALB & TIANTAI FORUM 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA0NzE4Mw==