Real Estate & Construction

Fangda has one of the top real estate groups of lawyers in China. We excel at providing one-stop and full-scale services to leading real estate market businesses in complex domestic and cross-border transactions. Our unique mix of international execution capabilities and understanding of domestic processes helps to ensure that our clients’ interests are best served.

We are one of the few firms based in China that can provide integrated real estate and construction services. We deliver practical, commercially focused advice, drawing on our deep knowledge of the local market. Our lawyers have been educated, trained and worked in Mainland China and Hong Kong SAR, as well in other leading international legal markets such as Australia,  England & Wales and the U.S., to offer for clients value-added services that other firms cannot match.

In collaboration with the firm’s experts in other practice areas, we advise our real estate and construction clients on the full range of commercial issues they face, including planning and environmental issues, licensing, IP matters, employment, and compliance. In addition, with the firm’s dispute resolution lawyers, we assist our clients in resolving disputes.

Areas of Focus

  • Property investment, acquisitions and disposals
  • Property development, construction and asset management
  • Commercial leasing and built-to-suit projects
  • Project finance
  • Hospitality
  • Infrastructure/Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects
  • Dispute resolution
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Recognition

  • Real Estate (PRC Firms) - Band 1
    Chambers, Greater China Region Guide, 2023
  • Real Estate and Construction, PRC Firms – Tier 1
    The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2020-2023
  • Real Estate (PRC Firms) – Band 1
    Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2018
  • Construction & Real Estate - Outstanding
    Asialaw Profiles, 2019 and 2023
  • Real Estate Firm of the Year - China
    China Law & Practice Awards, 2020 and 2022

Notable Matters

We have advised on many of the market’s most significant transactions. These include representing:

Real Estate & Construction

Property Investment, Acquisitions and Disposals
  • Brookfield on its acquisition and disposal of office and retail properties in China, including Brookfield’s acquisition of a large mixed-use project located in Huangpu, Shanghai. This transaction is ranked among the biggest commercial property acquisitions in China by a foreign investor.
  • LaSalle Investment Management on its acquisition of a 31-story, grade A office building in Hongkou, Shanghai.
  • Gaw Capital on its various acquisitions of commercial, office and logistics facilities in China.
  • Warburg Pincus on its equity investment in Creater, a leading urban renovation operator in China.
  • Manulife on its investment in a U.S. dollar real estate investment fund, whose first target portfolio is Corporate Avenue 5, a grade-A office building in Shanghai Xintiandi.
  • Tishman Speyer on its real estate disposals in China.
  • City Developments on its acquisitions of real estate assets in Shanghai and other Chinese cities.
  • CSI Properties on its acquisition of the retail podium of Shanghai Richgate, and its sale of an office building in Shanghai Xintiandi.
  • BM International on its acquisition of a hotel and office complex in Pudong, including Four Seasons Hotel and Four Seasons Place.
  • Prologis on the acquisition, development, operation and disposal of various industrial land and logistics facilities projects in China.
Property Development, Construction and Asset Management
  • Mori Building on the development, construction, financing and asset disposals as part of the Shanghai World Financial Center project.
  • Kerry Properties on its investment, acquisition, development, operation and financing of real estate projects in Shanghai and other Chinese cities.
  • Hongkong Land on its commercial property acquisition, development and management projects in Beijing and Shanghai.
  • Shanghai Expo Development Group on an office/retail cooperation development project in the Urban Best Practices Area, Shanghai.
  • Kheng Leong on a residential building construction project near Shanghai Changfeng Park.
  • Merlin Entertainments on the construction/renovation and fitting-out of Madame Tussauds wax museums and LegoLand projects in various cities of China.
  • Zoomlion on developing and constructing a manufacturing zone in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
  • Novartis on its development and construction of the Novartis Shanghai Campus Project in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park.
  • Huada Semiconductor on its EPC project involving semiconductor production lines in Lingang, Shanghai.
  • Renowned international architectural design companies, including Aedas, Pelli Clarke Pelli and SmithGroup, on drafting standard design contracts and advising on legal issues in projects.
Commercial Leasing and Build-to-Suit Projects
  • Singapore Government Real Estate Investment Corporation on the overall leasing matters of Azia Center, an office building in Pudong Lujiazui.
  • The management office of Shanghai Center on leasing and property management matters.
  • Starbucks on leasing and opening up hundreds of coffee shops across China, including advising Starbucks on its ultra-premium Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai which opened in December 2017 as the first Roastery store outside the U.S.
  • Nan Fung Group on its leasing of 20 floors of Shanghai Nan Fung BM Tower to the WPP Group.
  • J.P. Morgan on its relocation to Shanghai Tower, and leasing of Internet data centers in Shanghai.
  • Corporate Realty Services of Citigroup on various leasing matters all over China, including office/retail space lease for branch offices and space leases for ATMs.
  • Daimler on its leasing of manufacturing plants, warehousing and logistic facilities, training and exhibition halls and construction matters.
  • Philips on its leasing and built-to-lease projects for offices and manufacturing facilities in Shanghai and surrounding areas.
  • Baxter on its leasing of Suzhou Baxter R&D Center in Suzhou Industrial Park.
Project Finance
  • A real estate fund on its acquisition financing of an office building in Shanghai from the Chinese subsidiary of a leading Singapore bank.
  • A leading investment and asset manager on its acquisition financing of a shopping mall in Chongqing from a syndicated group of international lenders.
  • Standard Chartered Bank and other lenders on their onshore/ offshore financing of Nanjing International Finance Center.
  • Aareal Bank Asia and Aareal Bank on the refinancing of the US$107 million loan made to CREO (Shanghai Central Plaza).
  • Shanghai Yaoda Real Estate Development Co. on a RMB2.8 billion syndicate loan granted for Shanghai Intercontinental Center.
  • The syndicated lenders led by Bank of China Shanghai Jing’An Sub-Branch on a RMB8 billion syndicated loan facility for construction and development of hotel and office buildings in Jing’An District, Shanghai.
  • The syndicated lenders in a RMB2.5 billion syndicated loan facility for the construction and development of Shanghai Pudong Kerry Center.
  • The syndicated lenders led by China Construction Bank on a loan facility advanced for construction of the Northern Entrance Highway to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Hospitality
  • Hotel owners and hotel managers for over 200 hotels in China (including drafting and negotiating hotel management agreements). Brands involved include over a dozen luxury, lifestyle, upscale and mid-scale brands originating in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
  • Hotel operators in China’s first few international hotel brands franchise projects.
  • Hotel owners and managers in drafting and negotiating branded residences management agreements and the full range of other agreements.
  • Hotel operators in IP-protective actions by collaboration with our highly regarded IP team.
  • Hotel operators and owners in domestic court proceedings and domestic and international arbitration for various types of disputes arising from management or franchise of hotel projects.
  • In conjunction with lawyers from our top-tier compliance practice, assisting hotels with compliance methodologies and responding to regulatory changes and on handling investigations by Chinese government agencies.
  • Clients on governmental licensing, environmental and planning issues.
Infrastructure/Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects
  • Covanta Energy on its investment, construction and operation of energy-from-waste projects in China; recently on bidding, financing and development of an energy-from-waste project in Zhao County, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
  • Berlinwasser on its bidding, investment, construction, financing and operation of wastewater treatment projects in China.
  • Shanghai Electric on its investment in and operation of municipal infrastructures, photovoltaic power stations and PPP power projects.
  • MBK Partners on its equity investment in Golden State Environment, a group in the areas of wastewater treatment, municipal water supply and energy-from-waste.
  • Vopak on its set-up of joint venture companies in various cities of China to develop, construct, own and operate liquefied natural gas receiving terminals.
  • Veolia on legal and compliance issues related to its development, operation and management of municipal water supply, wastewater treatment, and energy projects in China.
  • KKR Group on its investment in a Singapore-listed Chinese wastewater treatment company.
  • I Squared Capital on its acquisition of internet datacenter and CHP energy facilities in Jiangsu Province.
  • Brookfield on its acquisition of solar energy projects in China originally owned by TerraForm.
  • GE Renewable on its investment in and construction of an offshore wind assembly base in Guangdong Province.
  • Électricité de France (EDF) on its investment in a wind farm project in Guangxi Province and procurement matters.
Dispute Resolution
  • A leading European real property fund in a CIETAC arbitration involving a RMB720 million real estate transaction dispute against a Chinese real estate developer.
  • A leading state-owned real estate developer in an HKIAC arbitration involving a RMB2 billion real estate transaction dispute with its business partner.
  • Various private equity sponsors in disputes arising from the right of control of real property portfolios invested by them in China.
  • A Beijing real estate developer in a RMB1 billion real estate transfer contract dispute with the purchaser.
  • A Taiwan company in an arbitration before the Beijing Arbitration Commission in a RMB900 million lease contract dispute with a domestic real estate developer.
  • Various world-renowned foreign-invested retail companies in disputes arising from store lease contracts (including built-to-lease contracts) against real estate developers.
  • Various real estate companies in their independent liquidation, compulsory liquidation and bankruptcy restructuring projects.
  • Creditors in various bankruptcy and restructuring cases of real estate developers.
  • A real estate fund in a lawsuit against the owners’ committee stemming from property management issues in a commercial property.

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