16
2025-12
The newly revised “Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China” enacted in 2022 has brought about significant changes to the penalties imposed on concentrations of business operators. The enhanced severity of these penalties has substantially increased the costs of violating the law by failing to file a required notification. Under these circumstances, businesses now face even stricter compliance requirements. Since 2023, the legal and regulatory framework governing concentrations of business operators has been steadily refined, including documents such as the “Guidelines for Review of Horizontal Concentrations,” the “Regulations of the State Council on Standards for Filing Concentrations of Business Operators,” the “Regulations on the Review of Concentrations of Business Operators,” and the “Benchmark for Discretionary Powers in Administrative Penalties for Illegally Implemented Concentrations (Trial).” This article analyzes the framework for reviewing concentrations of business operators in the antitrust field, taking into account the new developments and regulatory trends reflected in the aforementioned legal documents, and explores insights and pathways for enterprises to effectively implement compliance management.
2025-12-16
15
2025-12
To prevent and mitigate risks associated with lawyers’ practice and to enhance their awareness of compliant professional conduct, on December 11, the Jinan Office of Zhongcheng Qingtai held a special training session titled “Practice Risks and Professional Discipline.” The event was chaired by Li Hui, a member of the Risk Control Implementation Committee of the Jinan Office. He Zefeng, Deputy Director of the Jinan Office Management Committee, and Cui Shouxu, a member of the Management Committee and Director of the Risk Control Implementation Committee, delivered keynote speeches. The event also featured a special training session led by Pang Shuying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Jinan Lawyers Association and Director of the Complaint Receiving and Investigation Center. Lawyers from various departments within the Zhongcheng Qingtai Jinan region participated in this learning session through both online and offline formats.
2025-12-15
15
2025-12
In international commercial trade, independent guarantees and standby letters of credit—important forms of international security—provide beneficiaries with robust protection thanks to their “pay-on-demand” independence. As international trade continues to expand, these instruments have become widely adopted; however, this widespread use has also led to a growing number of disputes involving independent guarantees and standby letters of credit in China. In 2016, the Supreme People’s Court issued the “Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Adjudication of Disputes over Independent Guarantees,” thereby clarifying the legal application of independent guarantees. Yet, under China’s current legal framework, no explicit rules govern the legal application of standby letters of credit. A judgment rendered by the Second International Commercial Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court has filled this gap by, for the first time, clearly defining the legal rules applicable to standby letters of credit. This article will analyze this landmark case to interpret the legal application of standby letters of credit and to elucidate the criteria for determining “guarantee fraud” committed by the beneficiary of a counter-guarantee.
2025-12-15
15
2025-12
In traffic accidents involving collisions with commercial vehicles such as taxis and ride-hailing cars, the owners of these commercial vehicles typically claim compensation from the party at fault for the loss of income incurred during the vehicle’s repair period. However, if the owner of the vehicle causing the accident has purchased commercial insurance, the insurance company often refuses to pay out, citing that the insurance contract explicitly excludes indirect losses from coverage. So, should the insurance company be responsible for covering the loss of income due to vehicle downtime? This article will analyze this issue in conjunction with specific case examples.
2025-12-15
12
2025-12
In disputes arising from real estate joint development contracts, the party bearing the primary responsibility for development and operation often argues—on the grounds that “the project has not been fully sold” or “statutory taxes and fees have not been fully settled”—that the conditions for profit distribution have not been met, thereby refusing to pay the cooperating party its due share of profits. Such defenses not only involve the interpretation of contractual terms but also touch upon the nature of the joint development legal relationship, the distinction between internal settlement and external tax obligations, and the boundaries of the application of the principle of good faith and fair dealing in commercial practice. Drawing on a final-instance case successfully litigated by the author, this article systematically examines the reasoning behind judgments in such disputes and provides an analysis of relevant judicial trends.
2025-12-12
09
2025-12
To deepen cross-border legal cooperation and support enterprises in going global with high quality, on December 5, Lin Xiaoding, Partner at Thailand Kunpeng Law Firm and Director of the China Affairs Department, along with Li Mengying, Senior Attorney from the China Affairs Department, visited Zhongcheng Qingtai’s Jinan office. They engaged in a roundtable discussion and exchange on key topics such as innovation in cross-border legal services and the support system for enterprises expanding overseas. They were warmly received by Geng Guoyu, Director and Senior Partner of Zhongcheng Qingtai’s Jinan office; Yu Cuilan, Senior Partner; Zhang Hao, Partner; and attorneys Mao Yukun and Qiu Xueda.
2025-12-09
08
2025-12
To fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the resolutions of successive plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, to deeply study, publicize, and put into practice Xi Jinping’s Thought on the Rule of Law, Xi Jinping’s Thought on Culture, and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on the Constitution, and to earnestly enforce the Law on Publicity and Education on the Rule of Law, we will vigorously strengthen constitutional publicity and education, actively promote the spirit of the Constitution, firmly uphold the authority of the Constitution, and effectively advance its implementation. On December 4, Jiaozhi Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd. visited the Jinan Office of Zhongcheng Qingtai to jointly carry out a party-building co-construction activity. The theme of this event was “Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping’s Thought on the Rule of Law and Promoting the Constitution’s Deep Understanding Among the People.” Attending the exchange were Sun Shiyong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Jiaozhi Railway Passenger Dedicated Line Co., Ltd.; Cui Ji, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee; Zhang Dedong, member of the Party Committee, and other Party members; as well as Geng Guoyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Jinan Office of Zhongcheng Qingtai; Shi Guangbo and Yu Peng, members of the Party Committee; and several lawyer Party members.
2025-12-08
05
2025-12
December 4, 2025, marks the 12th Constitution Promotion Day, and December 1 to 7 will be the 8th Constitution Promotion Week. According to a joint notice issued by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Office for Popularizing the Law, this year’s “Constitution Promotion Week” campaign is themed: “Study, Publicize, and Implement Xi Jinping’s Thought on the Rule of Law, and Promote Deep Understanding of the Constitution Among the People.”
2025-12-05
05
2025-12
On November 25, 2025, the Fujian Provincial Higher People's Court issued a final judgment in the unfair competition dispute between Wangzhi Tianyuan Technology Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Wangzhi Company”) and Tencent. The court upheld the first-instance ruling ordering Wangzhi Company to pay compensation of 2.28 million yuan. This judgment, dubbed the "First Case of China’s Public Opinion Big Data," for the first time clearly defined the judicial boundaries for the protection of rights related to big data collections, providing important guidance for determining the compliance of data scraping activities and having a profound impact on the standardized development of the entire big data industry.
2025-12-05
05
2025-12
In trademark infringement cases, it has become increasingly common for rights holders to name the owner of the allegedly infringing mark as a co-defendant and claim that this owner should bear joint and several liability, especially when the infringing products bear the owner’s own registered trademark. This article analyzes such cases from various angles—including factual findings, legal application, practical challenges, and corresponding countermeasures—providing valuable reference for handling similar cases.
2025-12-05
Zhongcheng Qingtai Jinan Region
Address: Floor 55-57, Jinan China Resources Center, 11111 Jingshi Road, Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province
