RESIDENTS and entrepreneurs from 10 countries met at the Shekou Foreign Legal Service Center on Saturday for the “Legal Risk and Dispute Resolution Guidelines for Foreigners in China” event, which provided them with essential legal frameworks and practical strategies for navigating commercial activities in China.

The lecture was the third session of the “APEC Volunteers Talk” series organized by the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats (Shekou MSCE).

Li Kelei, a lawyer specialized in foreign-related legal affairs from Grand & Passion (Qianhai) Joint Venture Law Firm, and Siegfried Sin, deputy legal counsel at the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration and head of business at the South China International Arbitration Center (Hong Kong), delivered speeches.

The speakers used real-world case studies to address high-frequency legal challenges faced by expats in investment, entrepreneurship, and trade. Li focused on foreign investment and business establishement, cross-border e-commerce, and employment. She detailed the legal foundations of foreign-invested firms, negative list management, and market entry compliance.

Sin highlighted the advantages of arbitration and mediation, such as streamlined procedures and enforceable outcomes. He encouraged entrepreneurs to include pre-determining dispute resolution methods in contracts and initiating early communication to protect their rights.

Eledir, an entrepreneur from Brazil, said the down-to-earth case analysis helped clarify how to efficiently resolve business disputes. Katrin, a cross-border trader from Kazakhstan, said that the event offered solid legal support for her business and expressed interest in future workshops.

Shekou MSCE said it will host more sessions for the “APEC Volunteers Talk”series, leveraging professional legal expertise to empower the expat community in an inclusive, law-based international environment. (Wei Jie)