Christopher Stephens

Christopher Stephens is the Senior Partner of the China offices and a member of the Corporate and Finance Groups, and is based in Hong Kong.  His 26 years of practice include 12 years in New York and 14 years in Asia.

Chris concentrates on finance and investment transactions across the Asia-Pacific region, including project development and finance, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity transactions.  Chris was named in the Asialaw Leading Lawyers survey as "one of the most highly acclaimed legal experts in the Asia-Pacific region" for five consecutive years (2006-2010) for his work in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.  Chambers and Partners notes that he is "clever, devoted and commercially oriented" with an "in-depth knowledge of the market."  Chris "offer[s] practical solutions to structuring and documentation issues" and is "especially strong on financings" and M&A (Chambers, 2010). He is also "highly recommended" by the Legal 500 for his "solid track record in Asia and beyond" (2008-2010).  Chris is a three-time nominee for Asian Legal Business' Managing Partner of the Year (2006, 2007 & 2009) and the 2007 award winner, and was recognized by ALB as among the "Hottest 100" lawyers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Chris has led several award-winning teams in high-profile client transactions.

• COSCO Pacific in the €4.3 billion concession to acquire, construct and finance the container terminal at Piraeus, Greece (Asian-Counsel "Deal of the Year" for 2008). 
• Corporación IMPSA S.A. in the restructuring, acquisition and divestiture of the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) Power Complex (Asian-Counsel "M&A Deal of the Year" in 2006).
• The lenders on the offshore security for a guaranteed US$100 million financing of the Shanghai Square Project (Asian Legal Business "Real Estate Deal of the Year" in 2006).
• Royal Vopak in the RMB 1.7 billion (US$200 million) dual-currency, six-tranche project financing of a liquefied chemical storage and logistics facility in Shanghai (Euromoney "Asia-Pacific Logistics Deal of the Year" in 2005).
• General Motors in the US$1.5 billion project financing of its Buick facility in Shanghai (Project Finance & IFLR "Deal of the Year").
• BP p.l.c. in the eight-sponsor, US$900 million acquisition, construction and financing of an LNG terminal and trunkline project in Guangdong, China (IFLR "Project Finance Deal of the Year" and Project Finance and Project Finance International "Asia-Pacific Oil & Gas Deal of the Year").

His comments are regularly sought by publications on issues related to finance, investment and economic developments in Asia, including the China Daily, the South China Morning Post, China International Business, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, and Investment Dealers' Digest.

Admitted in

• New York
• District of Columbia

Memberships

• The Law Society of Hong Kong
• American Bar Association

Multimedia

Publications

• "Tactics Pay for Philippines Project Divestiture," International Financial Law Review, June 2005.
• "Power Play at CBK," Asian Counsel, May 2005.
• "IMPSA Sells Stake in Philippines Power Project," Latin Lawyer, May 2005.
• "Anatomy of a Seizure," Air France Journal, 2004; Guide to Aviation Lawyers, 2004.
• "China's Banking Sector, Mounting Challenges & New Opportunities," Banking Today, June 2003.
• "Policy Collisions-China's Banking Reforms," The Banking Law Journal, January 2003.
• Edited "Asia Pacific Insolvency & Restructuring Regimes," Commerce Clearing House.
• Participated with the American Chamber of Commerce in advising the subcommittee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on the revised contract and finance leasing law in the PRC in 1998.

Speeches & Programs

• Panelist at the Asian Development Bank Forum on the Global Financial Crisis, Shanghai 2009.
• "Venture Investing in Asia: China and Beyond - Other Asia Growth Markets: Korea and Vietnam," Global Law Symposium, Silicon Valley, January 2008.
• Speaker, "Mergers and Acquisitions in China," American Conference Institute, San Francisco.
• Alternatives for Large-Scale Projects for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, organized by the PRC Ministry of Finance, and the Beijing Development Planning Commission.
• Large-scale Infrastructure in China, Worldwide Business Research Institute.
• Structuring BOT Projects, Infrastructure Asia.
• BOT Infrastructure Projects in the PRC, Tianjin University.
• China & The WTO-Issues and The Effects on Financing Transactions, The Economist Conferences, Bangkok.