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Carolyn Dong

She/herForeign Legal Consultant
Head of Energy Sector, China
About

Carolyn is a trusted adviser to Chinese clients on their overseas investments and to international investors for their investments into China. She is especially valued for her work in energy and infrastructure. She is a full service lawyer, able to advise on transactional, corporate and operational issues.

For more than 36 years, Carolyn has been involved in cross-border transactions involving China, advising major Chinese state-owned enterprises and private companies in outbound M&A transactions, acquisition financing, project development, and Sino-foreign joint venture projects. She also advised Fortune 500 companies on their inbound investments. Her clients include Sinopec, China Energy Group, China Huadian, PetroChina, CNOOC, Datang Group, ENN Group, China Development Bank, Exim Bank of China, China Cinda Assets Management Company, Wengfu Group, and Siemens.

Prior to joining DLA Piper in 2013, Carolyn had 27 years of corporate, private practice and academic experience (in both Chinese SOEs as well as MNCs), having spent time at King & Wood Mallesons (Beijing), BP (Hong Kong & Singapore), Sinopec (Beijing Headquarters), Clifford Chance (Hong Kong) and at the Faculty of Law of a university in Beijing. Carolyn has a deep understanding of bridging Chinese and international commercial culture and practices. She is adept at finding practical solutions for both Chinese and international investors in solving commercial issues in Sino-foreign joint ventures whether incorporated in China or overseas.

Carolyn has been ranked as a leading energy lawyer in IFLR1000, Chambers, Legal 500, Asian Legal Business and the Euromoney Business Law Awards for many consecutive years. In 2020, Carolyn was named an Acritas star lawyer in Asia, and was also awarded the title of "100 Excellent Lawyers of Foreign Law Firms" in the selection of "Legal Elite 200" by China Business Law Journal in 2020.

EXPERIENCE

  • Acting for a Chinese SOE purchaser on its due diligence, structuring and purchase advice on its bid to acquire a participating interest in the upstream oil and gas sector in an east African country, including advice on a prospective LNG project
  • Acting for a major Chinese energy company in its acquisition of an interest in a US$5 billion integrated LNG liquefaction and export facility in Canada (including a corresponding interest in the associated upstream oil and gas assets) from Petronas
  • Advising Chinese coal mine and power companies on numerous brown and green field projects in Indonesia
  • Advising a major Chinese state-owned chemical company on its overseas acquisitions across more than 20 jurisdictions
  • Advising a Hong Kong listed company on its acquisition of a working interest in an offshore oil block in Northern China and associated acquisition financing
  • Advising China Development Bank and China Exim Bank on their numerous cross-border project financing and acquisition financing deals on a regular basis
  • Advising the project sponsors (a US based global chemical company and a Chinese state owned chemical company) in relation to the construction of a specialty resin manufacturing facility in Nanjing, China, including financing, foreign investment and general corporate and project matters
  • Advising a joint venture formed between BASF and Sinopec in relation to several expansion projects in relation to an existing large-scale integrated petrochemical facility (including associated financing, general corporate and project related aspects)
  • Advising a joint venture formed between a Saudi-based global chemical company and a Chinese state owned chemical company in relation to various technology and project development agreements in relation to a major manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China
  • Advising a major Chinese oil company on its acquisition of number of oil and gas assets located in different jurisdictions
  • Advising a major Chinese investment company on a large scale overseas M&A transaction across more than 15 jurisdictions
Languages
  • English
  • Chinese (Mandarin)
Education
  • Peking University School of Law, B.A. (with honours) and Masters Degree of Law;
  • Nottingham University School of Law, LL.M.

Awards

  • Top 15 Female Lawyers in China - Asian Legal Business 2016
  • Best in Energy & Natural Resources - Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards 2015
  • Leading Individual (Energy & Natural Resources) - Chambers Global 2015 and 2016, Chambers Asia Pacific 2015 and 2016
  • Leading Lawyer - IFLR 2015 and 2016

Prior Experience

Prior to joining DLA Piper in 2013, Carolyn has more than 26 years of corporate legal practice and academic experience (in both Chinese SOEs as well as MNCs), having spent time at King & Wood Mallesons (Beijing), BP (Hong Kong & Singapore), Sinopec (Beijing Headquarters), Clifford Chance (Hong Kong) and at the Faculty of Law of a university in Beijing. 

Benefitting from her rich experience in working on large Chinese state-owned companies' major outbound investments and also major Sino-foreign joint venture project transactions in China, Carolyn has a deep understanding of both Chinese and international commercial culture and practices and she is adept at finding practical solutions for both Chinese and international investors in solving issues in Sino-foreign joint ventures incorporated in China and overseas.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Panel Arbitrator in the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration

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