Ms. Ingrid Zhu-Clark is the managing partner and chief representative of the firm's Beijing office. Ms. Zhu-Clark is admitted to practice law in both the US and China and has extensive experience in China practice. Ms. Zhu-Clark joined the firm's Beijing office after having served for three-and-a-half years as managing lawyer of a well-known international firm in its Beijing office. She practices in energy projects, especially in the area of oil and gas, and has extensive experience in advising energy companies in various multijurisdictional acquisition transactions, farm-ins/outs, PSAs, JOAs, in regions including Africa, South America, North America, Central Asia and Asia, and in many countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Peru, Niger and Nigeria. She also has experience in multicountry pipeline projects, refineries projects and downstream cross-border gas sales.
She represented CNPC International in its landmark $4.18 billion acquisition of PetroKazakhstan in 2005, then the largest international acquisition by a Chinese company. She has been involved in numerous other major outbound oil and gas transactions, both public and private, by Chinese state-owned oil companies, including CNPC's joint acquisition of PetroCanada with ONGC and CNOOC's $3.3 billion acquisition of an offshore interest in Nigeria.
She also has extensive experience in advising multinationals, including GSK, Novell, BAT, Bain Capital, Allianz, Liberty Mutual, Lloyd's, CNA, RioTinto and many other international companies in their investment in China.
She has represented numerous international insurance companies in their life and non-life joint ventures, acquisition of interest into existing Chinese insurance companies, regulatory matters, litigation, transaction structure strategies, policy review (e.g., credit insurance policy review), etc. in China. She was involved in advising the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) on drafting certain insurance regulations.
-
Advised CNPC International in its landmark $4.18 billion acquisition of PetroKazakhstan Inc., then the largest international transaction by a Chinese company;
-
Advised CNOOC Limited on its $2.3 billion acquisition of 45-percent interest in Nigeria's Akpo offshore oil and gas field from South Atlantic Petroleum Limited;
-
Advised CNPC in its €484 million joint acquisition of PetroCanada with ONGC, the state-owned oil company of India;
-
Advised CNPC's transfer of 33-percent interest ($1.347 billion) in PetroKazakhstan Inc. to JSC Kazmunaigas, the state-owned oil company of Kazakhstan;
-
Advising CNPC's subsidiary on its acquisition of shares in Rosneft;
-
Advised a Chinese major oil company in connection with the establishment of a JV regarding a refinery in Chad;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with a potential acquisition of assets located in Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, the Ivory Coast and other West African countries;
-
Advised a Chinese oil company in connection with its pipeline project in Central Asia;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed China-Russia Pipeline project;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its possible purchase of a company with assets in Russia;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its possible merger with/acquisition of a Canadian oil company with assets in Africa;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed acquisition of equity interests of a French oil and gas company;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with the consequences of the enforcement of an arbitration decision regarding a JV;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed sale of shares;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its acquisition of interests in two oil fields in Africa;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its acquisition of a subsidiary of a US oil and gas company with assets in Africa;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its project in Congo;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with a possible purchase of equity interests from a Kazakhstan oil company;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company's subsidiary in connection with import and export disputes;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with a contract dispute with an African company;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its financing;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on establishing a JV in Saudi Arabia with a Saudi Arabia company;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its acquisition in Azerbaijan;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with the arbitration proceedings in the International Chamber of Commerce;
-
Advising a Chinese bank in connection with negotiation of a Risk Participation Agreement with an international bank;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its proposed gas pipeline transportation arrangements;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company in connection with its proposed form of gas sale agreement;
-
Advising a Chinese oil company on its contemplated acquisition of 100% interest of a US company;
-
Advised in drafting of a petroleum law for an African country and in an acquisition of holdings of an African state-owned oil company;
-
Advised Sinochem in its acquisition of oil and gas interest in Ecuador;
-
Advised a major oil company in negotiating a joint operating agreement;
-
Advised CNPC's transfer of a 67-percent interest of PetroKazakhstan ($2.735 billion) to a joint venture between CNODC and PetroChina;
-
Advised acquisition by a major Chinese state oil company of a 50-percent interest in a Kazakhstan oil company;
-
Advised a Chinese oil company in its farm-in project in Africa;
-
Advised a major Chinese company in its acquisition of oil and gas assets in South America;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in its acquisition of a UK corporation to purchase certain African oil-producing assets from a Canadian energy company;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in its acquisition of a participating interest in Niger;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in its acquisition of 100 percent of the shares of a Kazakhstan joint stock company;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in establishing a risk management system;
-
Advised in a joint venture and service contract dispute between a Chinese state oil company and a Saudi national;
-
Advised a Chinese state oil company in service agreement negotiations;
-
Advised China Zhenhua Oil on its acquisition of an international oil and gas company;
-
Lead role in PetroChina's acquisition of an independent producer;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in the location and exploitation of gas fields in a country, the construction of a transnational pipeline for the purpose of the transportation of the exploited gas and sale of the exploited gas in the target markets;
-
Advised a major Chinese state oil company in its acquisition of some participating interests in Congo; and
-
Advised Sinopec International in its acquisition of a corporation with oil and gas interests in Central Asia.
-
Advised CIRC on drafting some insurance legalities and other legal matters;
-
Advised a European reinsurance company in its standard reinsurance treaty and product review;
-
Advised a French reinsurance company on PRC regulatory issues;
-
Advised a European reinsurance company in its proposed joint development of some products with a Chinese P/C insurance company;
-
Advised Lloyd's in regulatory matters;
-
Advised ACE in its acquisition of minority interest in Hua Tai;
-
Advised CNA Global in a personal injury litigation;
-
Advised an Asian life insurance company in its proposed project of setting up a life joint venture with a Chinese company;
-
Advised an international insurance company in its strategy of acquiring a minority interest in a Shanghai insurance company;
-
Advised MetLife as China local counsel in its $11.8 billion acquisition of the Travelers Insurance Co. under the Citigroup, Inc.;
-
Advised Allianz in its credit insurance products in China;
-
Advised a subsidiary of Allianz in its road assistance program;
-
Advised a Canadian P/C company in its market-entry strategy and regulatory issues;
-
Advised a US insurance company in its strategy of setting up a life joint venture with a Shanghai insurance company; and
-
Advising an insurance company on its insurance coverage in connection with a pipeline project.