4 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 AUGUST 2024 BIG STORY The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia. As geopolitical tensions between China and the United States continue, China is shifting its focus towards the ASEAN region. China and Malaysia are capitalizing on the celebration of the anniversary to deepen cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, food, energy, digital economy, and environmental protection. As an ASEAN founding member and a gateway to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Malaysia plays an important role in regional cooperation, a role which continues to contribute to its international standing. And this year has been an economically strong one for the Southeast Asian nation, particularly in areas like capital markets. According to Deloitte, in the first EAST MEETS SOUTHEAST 马来西亚成中企出海“优选”，律所加速“陪伴式”布局 half of 2024, Malaysia has been the most active capital market in the ASEAN region, raising $450 million with 21 listings. “With a diversified industry mix and strong regional economic presence, Malaysia has attracted a large number of multinationals and investors with its fastgrowing digital economy, technology innovation, and infrastructure development projects,” says Will Fung, senior foreign counsel at Beijing-headquartered Grandall Law Firm. In mid-June, Grandall opened its Malaysian office headed by Fung. Fung emphasizes that “continued strong foreign investment and internal economic development will bring more opportunities to Malaysia, stimulating legal needs in cross-border investment and financing, commercial dispute resolution, trade, labor, compliance, and intellectual property rights.” Another Chinese firm, Yingke Law Firm, launched in Malaysia around the same time. Maggie Yao Yanfei, executive director of Yingke Malaysia, has expertise in corporate compliance and risk management. Yao tells ALB that the Malaysian office marks an important step for Yingke in facilitating its global “one-hour” legal services network with increasingly close ties between China and Malaysia. “China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for the past 15 years. In 2023, the Malaysian government approved 64 investments totaling $2.6 billion from China, creating more than 10,000 new jobs.” “Meanwhile, China and Malaysia have inked 14 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in various areas of cooperation this year and renewed a five-year economic and trade cooperation pact for intensified As China shifts its business focus towards the ASEAN region, Chinese law firms are making strategic moves into Malaysia’s burgeoning legal market. These firms aim to provide comprehensive legal services to Chinese and Malaysian companies, facilitating deeper integration of professional services between both countries and supporting the expanding economic cooperation in the region. 凭借优越的地理位置、多元的经济结构、广泛的贸易联系，以及更低的商业成本，位于东南亚心脏地带的马来西亚正对中 国企业产生愈发强劲的吸引力，中国律所也加紧了布局这一东盟门户的步伐。 BY CHARLIE WU 作者：吴卓言
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