26 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 JUNE 2023 FOREIGN INVESTMENT: MIDDLE EAST include that two representative partners must reside in Saudi Arabia; at least half of the lawyers of the Saudi office must be Saudi nationals; business related to Saudi law cannot be transferred to other offices; thirty percentage of the revenue obtained by the Saudi office cannot flow outside of Saudi; and the business license must be renewed every five years, etc. International firms are not the only ones who are eyeing the Middle East. According to Lin, some Chinese firms have begun exploring the Middle East, although the market is still small overall. “Fortunately, our firm set up an office in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as early as 2010, and has established a long-term and effective network in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, accumulating rich hands-on experience in supporting Chinese companies.” More than a decade of close cooperation with the local legal industry and clients has earned P. C. Woo & Zhonglun W.D. LLP significant “first mover advantages”. “We are exploring more extensive and closer cooperation with local firms. The fundamental goal is to promote mutual understanding and solve differences in work style and culture, so as to better understand the differences in client needs and provide clients with higher quality services.” BEYOND THE KINGDOM While Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the region, Chinese companies are also looking elsewhere in the Middle East, and Lin has observed inquiries from Chinese clients about other countries and regions. Among the inquiries, multinational companies interested in the UAE cover a wide range of industries, focusing on wholesale and retail, real estate, financial services and insurance, mining, etc.; the interest in Qatar mainly lands on upstream oil and natural gas development and petrochemical projects; and, for Iran, investors are mainly eyeing crude oil, natural gas, automobiles, minerals, petrochemicals, food and pharmaceuticals. In addition, other MENA countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey, etc., have also gradually gained the attention of Chinese clients. “Despite the lingering impact of the pandemic, the potential and prospects of the Middle East remain very attractive to Chinese investors. The gradual recovery of the Middle East economy and, in particular, the political rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran under China’s leadership, have created a good political climate for further improvement of the economic environment. The investment enthusiasm of Chinese companies is expected to reach a historical high in 2023.” P. C. Woo & Zhonglun W.D. LLP has accordingly established a new Middle East and Islamic Legal Affairs Department. Considering Dubai’s excellent strategic location in the UAE and its active free trade zone, the firm has sent Li Tao, head of the department, for a series of visits to the Dubai IFZA Free Trade Zone, in an effort to continue to provide personalized solutions for Chinese companies venturing to the Middle East through professional partners and the government institutional network. 中东，指从地中海东部南部到波 斯湾沿岸部分地区，其中以阿联酋、阿 曼、巴林、卡塔尔、科威特、沙特阿拉伯 （“沙特”）组成的“海湾六国”最具投 资合作潜力。调研机构Investment Monitor的最新报告显示，过去三年， 中东地区持续吸引外资流入，2022年 外商直接投资增幅达13.6%。 在此背景下，中东地区也成为了 中国企业出海的热土，不少中国能源、 基建、互联网企业纷纷赶赴中东展开 布局。根据普华永道2022年发布的 一份报告，实际上，中东地区作为“一 带一路”重要的合作区域，中国企业 与当地合作经历了不断走深走实，在 普华永道调研的118家中国企业中， 近一半企业在中东展开经营已超过 10年时间。 其中，沙特作为中东地区经济规 模最大的国家，凭借其独特的优势，逐 步从过度依赖石油经济向放松市场管 制、吸引外部投资转变，成为了和阿 联酋比肩的两大投资目的国。沙特当 地的中国投资机构易达资本数据显 示，去年其接待了超过500家中国来 访企业和机构，今年中国与沙特的合 作关系更是上升到新高度。 中伦文德胡百全（前海）联营律 师事务所主任林威律师也有着同样 的观察，他告诉ALB：“沙特作为中东 地区的重要经济体，2022年，GDP以 美元计共达11081.49亿美元。此外， 沙特有着丰富的油气和其他自然资 源，以及广阔的市场和潜力，因此近 年来中国企业和个人对沙特的投资 热情持续高涨。” 此外，去年12月中沙两国元首 峰会正式举办，两国领导人共同签 署首份《中华人民共和国和沙特阿 拉伯王国全面战略伙伴关系协议》。 而随着中国“一带一路”倡议与沙 特“2030愿景”战略对接日益加强， 两国在经贸、产能、金融、基础设施 建设等领域的合作水平也获得了空 前提高。 林威律师介绍道，具体来看，中 国企业和个人在沙特的投资领域主 要包括五个方面。“一是石油和天然 气领域，包括石油开采、石油加工和 天然气销售等；二是基础设施建设领 域，包括公路、桥梁、机场、港口等； 三是房地产领域，来自中国的投资 在沙特房地产市场占据着越来越重 要的位置，包括房地产开发、物业管 理等。 “四是科技领域，随着数字化转 型的加速，中国企业和个人在沙特的 投资也逐渐集中于人工智能、云计算、 大数据、物联网等科技领域；五是教 育领域，中国企业和个人同样进行了 不少的投资，其中包括语言培训、留 学教育等。” 林律师总结道：“中国企业和个 人在沙特的投资领域非常广泛，且近 年呈现出逐年增长的趋势。从行业角 度看，双方均渴望利用对方的优势。 对于中企来说，主要是获取能源与基 建利润，对于沙特而言，从中方可以 获得更多的技术与人才资源。近期可 以说是中沙两国合作关系的蜜月期， 将来还会有很大的增长潜力。” 直面法律及社会特殊性 然而，中国企业或个人想要出海沙特 也同样面临一定程度的挑战。谈及投 资于沙特需要特别注意的法律风险 点，林威律师指出投资者应首先了解 沙特法律的基本情况与概念。
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA0NzE4Mw==