Step 1: Appoint an agent
The agent, generally is a law firm, will be the representative for the investor to file the applications to relevent Chinese authories.
Step 2: Submission of Preliminary Application
The foreign investor of a foreign enterprise should submit a report to the foreign trade and economic cooperation department at county level or above at the place where the proposed enterprise is located.
Content of report: Objectives of the foreign enterprise, business scope, scale of operation, products to be produced, technology and equipment to be used, land area required, conditions and quantities of water, electricity, gas and other forms of energy resources required, and requirements for public facilities.
Step 3: Submission of Formal Application
After the foreign investor receives a written reply from the relevant government authorities, a formal application supported by all the required documents should be filed with the local foreign trade and economic cooperation department at county, municipal or provincial level.
Documents required: Application letter for establishing the foreign enterprise; feasibility study report; articles of association; list of legal representatives (or board of directors); foreign investor's business licence and credit report; list of materials to be imported; written replies from the local approval authorities at county level or above; application for registration of the name of the enterprise approved by the provincial or municipal administration for industry and commerce; comments on the project by various government departments such as environmental protection, fire services, health and land administration. In case where two or more foreign investors are involved, copies of the contracts signed by them should be submitted to the approval authority for the record.
Step 4: Application for Approval Certificate
After the formal application is approved, the foreign investor should apply to the foreign trade and economic cooperation department at county, municipal or provincial level for an approval certificate.
Documents required: Ratification documents (on project proposal, feasibility study report, contract and articles of association) from the relevant authorities.
Step 5: Registration
Upon collection of the approval certificate, an application for business licence should be filed with the provincial or municipal administration for industry and commerce within 30 days. Subsequently, the enterprise should complete such procedures as applying for official seal and enterprise code, opening bank account, and registering for tax payment and customs declaration with the local public security, technical supervision, taxation, Customs, finance, foreign exchange administration, banking, insurance and commodity inspection departments.
杨春宝一级律师简介
杨春宝一级律师，大成上海高级合伙人、资本市场部主任、国资基金研究中心主任，大成中国区私募基金专业带头人、科技与文化法律研究中心联合牵头人。执业30余年，长期从事私募基金、投融资、并购重组法律服务，尤其对对赌研究颇深且具有非常丰富的实战经验，并专注于金融机构股权投资业务。2004年起多次入选The Legal 500"私募基金"和"公司与商业"等境内外各类律师榜单，代理的中国法院首例适用外国法律审理外国公司的董事损害小股东权益纠纷案入选上海高院发布的《上海法院域外法查明典型案例》和威科先行"要案头条"。入选上海涉外法律人才库、上海市司法局鼎新法治人才库、上海国有企业改制法律顾问团，具有上市公司独立董事任职资格，系多家知名高校的兼职教授或兼职研究生导师及上海市商务委跨国经营人才培训班讲师。出版《私募股权投资基金风险防控操作实务》等16本投融资法律专著。了解更多常见法律问题
投资并购中如何进行尽职调查？
投资并购尽职调查应涵盖以下方面：1）法律尽职调查——核查目标公司的设立及存续、股权结构、重大合同、知识产权、诉讼仲裁、劳动用工、合规经营等情况；2）财务尽职调查——审查财务报表、资产负债、收入结构、关联交易、税务合规等；3）商业尽职调查——分析行业前景、市场竞争、商业模式、客户供应商集中度等。建议委托专业律师和会计师共同进行，重点关注隐性债务、或有负债、知识产权权属瑕疵、劳动用工风险等潜在隐患。杨律师团队在投资并购领域具有丰富经验，可提供全流程法律服务。
公司并购有哪些法律风险？
公司并购主要法律风险包括：1）股权权属瑕疵风险——股权被质押、冻结或存在代持关系；2）隐性债务和或有负债风险——目标公司存在未披露的担保、保证、未决诉讼等；3）劳动用工风险——员工安置、补偿方案、社保欠缴等；4）知识产权风险——核心专利、商标、著作权的权属不清或存在侵权纠纷；5）反垄断审查风险——达到申报标准的并购需向国务院反垄断执法机构申报；6）税务风险——历史欠税、税务筹划不当等。建议在交易前进行全面尽职调查，并在协议中设置适当的陈述保证条款和赔偿机制。
并购交易中如何设计交易结构？
并购交易结构设计需考虑以下因素：1）股权收购vs资产收购的选择——股权收购继承目标公司全部权利义务（含隐性债务），资产收购可选择性收购但需办理资产过户手续；2）支付方式——现金支付（简单直接）、股权支付（换股收购，可延迟纳税）、混合支付（现金+股权+ Earn-out）；3）分步交易安排——先收购部分股权，再根据经营情况决定是否收购剩余股权；4）税收筹划——合理设计交易结构以降低整体税负（如特殊性税务处理）；5）风险分配机制——通过陈述保证、赔偿、托管、分阶段付款等方式分配风险。建议由律师、税务师和财务顾问共同参与设计。
以上内容仅供参考，不构成法律意见。如需专业法律服务，请联系杨春宝一级律师：chambers.yang@dentons.cn
