Thirty Years at the Forefront：A Pioneer in Foreign-related Legal Services

In the field of foreign-related legal services in China, Wang Jing, Honorary Chairman of the Board and Senior Partner of Wang Jing & GH Law Firm, stands as an undisputed benchmark practitioner. With over 30 years of professional practice, he has dedicated himself to maritime and commercial law, cross-border investments and mergers & acquisitions, international litigation and arbitration, among other areas. He has handled and instructed over a thousand foreign-related cases, many of which have been recognized as classic foreign-related cases in the field. As a pioneer in China's foreign-related legal services, Mr. Wang Jing founded and managed Wang Jing & Co. (WJNCO) for more than 25 years, exerting profound influence in maritime and commercial law, corporate law, and beyond. Today, as Honorary Chairman of Wang Jing & GH Law Firm, he continues to drive the advancement of foreign-related legal services with strategic vision, helping Chinese enterprises navigate the tides of globalization with steady confidence.

From handling his first maritime dispute to being recognized as a top-tier lawyer in shipping and foreign-related legal services by international authoritative rating agencies such as Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, Mr. Wang Jing’s achievements can be distilled into four key principles: professional excellence, global perspective, innovative breakthroughs, and a strong sense of responsibility. Today, he shares with us the insights and strategies that have defined his remarkable career spanning over thirty years.

In 1978, as China reinstated the national college entrance examination, the country's legal system and higher education were in a state of revival. With lofty ambitions, Wang Jing, while working full-time, enrolled in the Ocean Shipping program at Shanghai Maritime College (now Shanghai Maritime University), marking the beginning of his lifelong connection with the "sea." In 1986, he successfully passed what was then known as the "hardest-ever" inaugural National Lawyer Qualification Examination (now the National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination), becoming the 194th person in Guangdong Province to obtain legal professional qualification.

In the same year, Mr. Wang Jing went to Hong Kong for further studies, learning under the guidance of international arbitration expert Mr. Yang Liangyi. At the end of 1989, he made the bold decision to leave his stable job at COSCO Shipping and joined Guangdong Maritime Law Firm. This choice required immense courage and vision at the time, yet it laid the foundation for his future success.

In 1993, when the Maritime Code of the People's Republic of China came into effect, Wang Jing seized the opportunity with keen insight. The following year, he established the International Business Department of Guangdong Maritime Law Firm (the predecessor of Wang Jing & Co. ). By the early 2000s, with approval from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Justice, he renamed both Guangdong Maritime Law Firm and its International Business Department as Wang Jing & Co. (WJNCO) , realizing his dream of founding his own firm. Over these more than ten years, as a pioneer of dreams, he used China’s reform and opening-up as his stage and professionalism as his cornerstone, embarking on the first chapter of his journey with the law.

Located in Guangdong, the forefront of China's reform and opening-up, Lawyer Wang Jing continuously explored new approaches to law firm management, carving out a path to success. He positioned Wang Jing & Co. with a clear focus on maritime and commercial law as its specialty and cross-border legal services as its core. He was among the first to introduce international law firm management models, becoming a pioneer in Guangzhou’s corporate-style law firms. Under unified management, Wang Jing & Co. rapidly expanded to multiple coastal cities across China, achieving remarkable results.

After founding and managing Wang Jing & Co. for over 25 years, Mr. Wang Jing retired from the firm in 2020. He was then invited by Wang Jing & GH Law Firm, bringing with him a select team of legal professionals to inject fresh expertise into the firm. Through internal deliberations, he was elected as Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner. Drawing on decades of legal service and management experience, he deepened reforms in development strategies and operational mechanisms, helping Wang Jing & GH build a top-tier foreign-related legal service platform in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Upon concluding his executive term in 2023, he was appointed Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors.

During this time, he led his team in handling several internationally influential cases. In 2021, his representation in Lotus Shipping (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. v. Angel Power Investment Co., Ltd. (Application for Maritime Claim Preservation) was selected as one of the Top Ten Exemplary Cases by Guangzhou Maritime Court. Under the background of the pandemic, the case successfully resolved complex issues such as ship abandonment by owners and the stranding of foreign crew members, achieving a balance of political, legal, and social outcomes, demonstrating the international credibility of China’s maritime judiciary.

As the global economy recovers, Chinese enterprises are increasingly looking toward overseas markets. With 30 years of expertise in cross-border legal services, Wang Jing has provided a solid foundation for Chinese companies "going global."

Taking GAC Aion’s Thailand production base project as an example, he assembled a multinational service team, collaborating with Wang Jing & GH’s Thailand office and local partners to provide GAC Aion with full-process legal services, including policy analysis, compliance framework construction, and BOI applications. This project pioneered a new model for Chinese automakers investing in Southeast Asia and won third prize in the inaugural Guangdong Lawyers’ Legal Service Competition, serving as a vivid testament to Wang Jing’s cross-border legal expertise.

In 2022, Mr. Wang Jing’s team was commissioned by Hong Kong pilotage authorities to conduct specialized research on the complex legal issues surrounding mutual recognition of pilot qualifications and the "single pilotage" system in the Mirs Bay waters. As a jointly administered area by Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Mirs Bay had long required vessel pilot changes due to differing regulations, increasing costs and reducing efficiency.

Mr. Wang Jing led his team in thoroughly analyzing legal obstacles, key challenges, and difficulties related to mutual recognition of professional qualifications, including pilots, and occupational insurance extensions between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. After multiple consultations with maritime authorities and pilotage organizations from both sides, he proposed systematic solutions from legal applicability, division of responsibilities, and operational feasibility perspectives. His efforts successfully facilitated a mutual recognition agreement for pilot qualifications, implementing the "single pilotage" system in Mirs Bay.

This breakthrough became a benchmark case for maritime rule coordination in the Greater Bay Area, demonstrating the exceptional capabilities of Mr. Wang Jing’s team in cross-border maritime legal practice while providing a replicable model for legal collaboration in regional shipping integration.

In 2022, the Russia-Ukraine conflict triggered a global sanctions storm. Tasked with an urgent mission, Mr. Wang Jing provided compliance services for a Chinese enterprise’s investment project in Russia. Facing risks from U.S., EU, and UK sanctions, he swiftly assembled an international legal task force, analyzed regulatory restrictions, and tailored a risk mitigation plan, ultimately achieving a compliant restructuring of the investment framework. This case not only resolved the client’s challenges but also established a replicable multilateral sanctions response strategy.

As a senior lawyer, Mr. Wang Jing has always prioritized nurturing young legal talent. He shares: "Interest is the best teacher, passion is the greatest motivation, and perseverance is the inevitable path to success." He advises young lawyers to choose high-quality platforms, identify specialized fields, integrate into outstanding teams, and simultaneously focus on both building experience and reflective thinking, cultivate a business-oriented mindset, and elevate service quality.

Looking back on his 30 years career, Mr. Wang Jing’s eyes still burn with fervor: "From maritime litigation to cross-border compliance, what has changed are the practice areas—what remains unchanged is my commitment to safeguarding Chinese enterprises. Cross-border legal services are like a voyage: expertise serves as the anchor against storms, while innovation acts as the sail to catch the tide. Fortunately, more Chinese law firms are now navigating these waters—this is the legacy of our generation’s efforts."