20 July 2010, Hong Kong – Mayer Brown JSM, a leading global law firm, today announced that Xiang Yang Ge has joined the firm's Beijing office as Head of Projects, China. Xiang Yang is a prominent corporate lawyer who was formerly with another major international law firm.

Xiang Yang has 20 years of experience representing foreign investors to do business in China and advising large Chinese enterprises on outbound investments across the globe. He regularly handles cross-border mergers and acquisitions with a particular focus on the oil and gas, mining and renewable energy industries. He has worked on several of the most prominent recent transactions including: a major Chinese oil company in its USD 2.5 billion acquisition of oil and gas assets in 11 jurisdictions;  a major Chinese mining company in its proposed acquisition of an Australian public mining company; and a major Japanese trading house in its USD 700 million investment in the PRC instant noodle industry.

"Strengthening our China capabilities continues to be a high priority for the firm. We are seeing an increased volume of inbound and outbound M&A transactions in China. The appointment of Xiang Yang underlines the firm's continued commitment to providing high quality legal services to our clients", said Elaine Lo, Senior Partner and Asia Chair.

Patrick Wong, Partner and Head of Corporate & Securities in Asia, echoed, "Xiang Yang has a stellar reputation in advising clients on making strategic inbound and outbound investments into China and abroad. He has excellent transaction management skills and has worked on numerous multi-jurisdiction transactions".

In commenting on his reasons for joining Mayer Brown JSM, Xiang Yang said, "Mayer Brown JSM's global platform and its premier clientele offer an excellent opportunity to expand my practice and help grow the firm's capabilities".

Xiang Yang is the third lateral appointment of the firm's China/Hong Kong office in the past two months. In June, the firm recruited a securitisation consultant and in early July, the firm hired a capital markets partner.

"The significant expansion of our China/Hong Kong office does not only highlight Mayer Brown JSM's ability to attract top-tier talents, it also underlines the firm's continued commitment towards growth in China", said Elaine.