Tiantai Law Firm Cross-Border Business Seminar Series (No. 12th): The Legal Issues of Investment and Dynamics of Trade in the UAE

In order to facilitate the understanding of the business and investment laws of Arab countries, the International Practice Department of Beijing Tiantai Law Firm, together with its Yinchuan Office, invited Dr. Jean-Michel Moriniere, a partner of AIDAROUS Law Firm of the UAE, and hosted an online seminar on the legal issues of investment and the dynamics of trade in the UAE on September 15th, 2023 in Beijing.

With respect to the topic, Dr. Jean firstly introduced the general background of the UAE, including the language culture, social structure, advantages of each emirate and the economic landscape for investors’ reference. Dr. Jean also presented UAE’s legal framework, its evolution and the role it plays in global initiatives, emphasized the country's commitment to sustainable development, economic diversification and diplomatic engagement in regional and global affairs. The UAE has a complex legal environment with federal and local laws as well as FTA regulations, which can be a challenge for new immigrants or new investors.

Besides, Dr. Jean emphatically introduced foreign investment situation in the UAE and shared the latest changes in this area. The UAE offers an attractive business environment with its efficient governance, low taxes and investment in education and research, as well as its focus on transparency and combating illegal activities. As the UAE is actively creating a business-friendly environment through various reforms and initiatives, Dr Jean presented its FTA strategy, the business environment regarding IPOs and M&A, as well as matters relating to merchant agent, wholesale and franchise. In addition, Dr. Jean further explained the VAT and CIT policies, incentive measures and other factors for foreign investment, highlighting the UAE's efforts to create a favorable environment for businesses to flourish.

Finally, Dr. Jean introduced the litigation and arbitration process in the UAE in terms of dispute resolution methods, jurisdictions, lawyers and enforcement mechanisms to help individuals and enterprises effectively dealing with various legal issues. As the relationship between UAE and China has a remarkable development in recent years, Dr. Jean expressed his welcome for Chinese investors to invest in the UAE. Participants of the seminar had a lively discussion with Dr. Jean and the seminar was successfully concluded.

Tiantai Law Firm Cross-Border Business Seminar Series is held on a regular basis. For those who are interested in watching previous editions of this series, please follow the WeChat channel of Tiantai Law Review.

Al Aidarous Advocates & Legal Consultants is a well-respected boutique law firm based in the UAE that provides clients with multi-dimensional and multi-jurisdictional solutions. The firm’s lawyers are fluent in English and Arabic and are good at handling various complex legal issues. The firm also provides strong litigation and arbitration services to its clients in the UAE.

Founded in 1994, Beijing Tiantai Law Firm is one of the largest full-service law firms in China, with 29 branches and about 2,000 lawyers nationwide. The Firm has been awarded the “National Excellent Law Firm” by the All China Lawyers Association, the “Beijing Excellent Law Firm” by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice and the Beijing Lawyers Association for consecutive years, and many other honors and recognitions.