Dr. Steven Yu
ShanghaiSenior Partner
Profile
- Prior to private practice, Dr. Steven Yu served at Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Centre, the first Chinese World Trade Organization (WTO) service body, where he advised government agencies, enterprises and industry associations on trade compliance upon China’s WTO access.
Dr. Yu started his private practice in 2003, focusing on trade law, foreign investment law (including Chinese enterprises’ foreign investments and foreign investments in China), corporate law and customs law. He leads the Firm’s International Practice, representing Chinese clients to safeguard their trade and investment interest in various jurisdictions; on the other hand, he assists foreign chambers and many international companies for their interest in front of Chinese authorities as well as courts.
Dr. Yu worked in Washington-based law firms for several years. Between December 2008 and June 2011, he worked in a Washington D.C. law firm as of counsel while he was a visiting researcher at Georgetown University Law School. Due to his expertise in international trade practice, Dr. Yu is regularly interviewed by primary media at home and abroad.
In 2013, Dr. Yu was named one of the “Chinese Foreign Leading Lawyers” by All China Bar; in 2015, he was awarded “Client Choice Top 20” by Asia Law Business. He is invited into the board of advisers for Jiangsu MOFCOM, and also an adjunct professor for the outstanding law schools in China, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China University of Political Science and Law and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. He is a writer or contributor to many publications on WTO Trade Law and practices, nearly over 1 million words. Dr. Yu can work proficiently in Chinese and English.
In January 2019, Dr. Yu was selected as List-Recommended Lawyer of WTO Respondents in the Chambers 2019 Ranking for the fifth consecutive year. In August 2019, Dr. Yu was awarded the "Preferred Lawyer for Chinese Clients" by ALB for the third consecutive year. In October 2019, Dr. Yu was once again voted as one of the 100 Outstanding Lawyers in China by the China Business Law Journal (for four consecutive years). In March 2020, Hiways Law Firm was awarded the "Best Trade and Customs Law Firm of 2020 in China"award by Corporate INTL Magazine with Dr. Yu as the representative.
Mr. Yu works daily in Chinese, English. He is reachable at yushengxing@hiwayslaw.com.
Area of Practice
- Trade law
- Foreign investment law
- Customs law
- Cooperate law
Education
- Ph.D, Fudan University (Shanghai)
Master degree
- Law School of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (Wuhan)
Representative Cases
- Representing the Modern Heavy Industries (Taicang) Co., Ltd (“MHI”) to participate antidumping duty investigation pertaining fabricated structural steel products from China in the U.S. as a mandatory respondent, and Shanghai Matsuo Steel Structure Co., Ltd (“Matsuo”) as a mandatory respondent in the countervailing duty investigation with regard to the same matter. Both of cases obtained satisfactory results.
- Representing the Marton Heavy Industries (Taicang) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Matsuo Steel Structure Co., Ltd and Yanda (Haimen) Heavy Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. to participate in the injury investigation before the International Trade Committee(“ITC”). In the end, the case was terminated by ITC declaring that no injury was caused by Chinese importation.
- Due diligent investigations for many international and Chinese companies concerning merger and acquisition projects in various industries;
- Structure, negotiation and agreement for purchase and sales of foreign shares concerning assets in China;
- Standing legal advisor for a US listed company with its operation in China;
- A big State-owned company for its investment dispute in the USA;
- EU Chamber of Commerce, legal analysis on the WTO compliance of China’s measures concerning imported cosmetics from BSE countries;
- A Thai invested wholly foreign owned company for due diligent investigation and a later crisis of labor strike in Suzhou Industrial Park;
- Negotiation and litigation for an international company for its dispute with a Chinese business partner;
- Litigation and other means to safeguard intellectual property rights for foreign companies, in front of government agencies and court;
- Defence of interest in a section 337 investigation for Baosteel Group;
- Antidumping Investigation by the EU on Grain-oriented Silicon Steel Originating from China (The client Baosteel was assigned the lowest AD rate among all the subject countries);
- Antidumping Investigation on Leather Footwear from China by the EU (Helped an Adidas excluded over 95% of the subject products, and advised to form a coalition for Chinese Exporters to defend their interest collectively);
- In the US anti-dumping case of activated carbon from China, representing a private enterprise in anti-dumping administrative review to obtain zero tax rate/minimum tax rate for consecutive years.
- Antidumping investigation by the USA on Multilayered Wood Flooring from China (The client Samling Group was excluded from the antidumping duty order with a court order); and
- Antidumping investigation by the EU on Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells from China (we represented several big producers and successfully reached price undertaking with the EU Commission);
Selected Publications
- (a) " What Should Companies Do When Faced with the EAPA Investigation of the U.S. Customs ? ", International Market, Issue 3, 2020.
- (b) "Why Class Actions Against Chinese-funded Companies in the US Steadily Increase?", "International Market", Issue 5, 2020.
- (c) "Be brave to respond, and the state-owned SUMEC Group won the battle—SUMECHT NA, INC., d.b.a., SUMEC NORTH AMERICA v. UNITED STATES ", LvJiang 2, published in August 2020.
- (d) "Research on Trade Remedy Cooperation Mechanism of BRIC Countries" ,Editor-in-Chief: Yu Shengxing, May 2014;
- (e) A Study on the Cooperation in Trade Remedies among the BRICS Countries，Regional Cooperation and Free Trade Agreements in Asia (Volume I) (in English)，2014；
- (f) U.S. Court of International Trade Overview: Non-Market Economy Cases in 2011(in English)，Georgetown Journal of International Law, No.22, 2012 Autumn;
- (g) China’s New Anti-Dumping Regulations: Improvement to Comply with the WTO Rules, the Journal of World Trade (in English), Oct. 2002;
- (h) Top 10 Questions in US Antidumping and Countervailing Cases(Article Series),China WTO Tribune；
- (i) New Trends of Obama Administration against China’s Trade Remedy, Pan Rui and Steven Yu, Research on America Issues, Feb. 2011;
- (j) Dramatic Shift of Trade Conflicts due to Financial Crisis, China WTO Tribune, Sep. 2008;
- (k) Cancun Conference and the New Round WTO Negotiation, Assistant Chief Editor: Steven Yu, Shanghai People’s Press, Sep. 2005; and
- (l) Doha Conference and the New Round WTO Negotiation, Assistant Chief Editor: Steven Yu, Shanghai People’s Press, Sep. 2002.
Interview
- In April 2020, accepts the invitation to write an article for the Lvxin News Agency, "How should Ruixing respond after the class suit in the United States?", see https://dy.163.com/article/F9FK0K360512D80K.html.
- In July 2020，interviewed by ZhiHe, “What business opportunities are conceived in the grand plan of building the Hainan Free Trade Port?".
- Interview by Xinhua News in August, 2015, see “China responds more actively and powerfully to trade protection of EU”, http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2015-08/04/c_1116139341.htm；
- Interview by China Business News regarding antitrust of automobiles in Sep. 2014, see “Mercedez-Benz face hits in China: Part 12% discount” , http://view.inews.qq.com/a/FIN2014091806015204?refer=share_relatednews；
- Interview by China Business News regarding US initiated antidumping and countervailing investigation on tires imported from China again after taking special safeguard measures in Jun. 2014, see “Sino-US tire trade war reoccur, a weather vane of two countries’ political relations”, http://www.yicai.com/news/2014/06/3920134.html；
- Interview by Economic Observer in Aug. 2013, see “Five places may be FTZ pilot after Shanghai”, http://finance.ifeng.com/a/20130830/10572735_0.shtml；
- Interview by Hexun Website on “Investment review in the world” in Aug. 2012, http://news.hexun.com/2012-08-04/144372468.html；
- Interview by 21st Century Economic News on the topic of “How Chinese Lawyers fit WTO new rules” ,http://finance.ifeng.com/news/hqcj/20111121/5103566.shtml；
- In 2006, Mr. Yu accepted interviews by domestic and foreign media many times, such as China Business News, Economic Observer, Xinhua News and Deutsche Welle, due to his efforts and contributions to launch a union against EU antidumping on footwear products from China, and being their legal counsel.
Public Speech
- In several years, presentation to EMBA students from Texas University Colleague of Business on “Legal Environment in China”;
- In Oct. 2015, speech and chair panel discussion in “Free Trade & Special Economic Zone Summit (Shanghai)”;
- In Aug. 2015, speech “Doing Legal Business in China” in “The Chinese Legal Market Visit to London 2015” summit, held by the Law Society of England and Wales;
- In Oct. 2015, speech and chair panel discussion in “Global Free Trade & Special Economic Zone Summit”;
- In recent years, speeches in MOFCOM, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Department of Commerce of Jiangsu Province, China Council for the Promotion of International trade and other meetings organized by the former institutions;
- From Jan. to Apr. 2015, lectured in “Going Abroad” training classes held by Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, regarding “Legal risks and its countermeasures occurred in Chinese enterprises ‘Going Abroad’” and “Due diligence in cross-border M&A”.
Social Responsibilities
- A Policy and Law Adviser for Shanghai MOFCOM and Jiangsu MOFCOM;
- An Adjunct Professor and Master Tutor of East China University of Political Science and Law;
- An Adjunct Professor of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and Shanghai Jiao Tong University; and
- An Expert Mediator for the Mediation Centre of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
Wechat public account
