Assisting major multinationals including Disney, BP and Microsoft with data protection and cybersecurity matters in China, CMS is highly regarded in this space. The team is led by the experienced Ulrike Glueck, who also heads up the firm’s China corporate practice and TMT sector group, and Hong Kong & Beijing office managing partner Nick Beckett, an intellectual property expert recommended for advising on China’s personal information protection legislation. Also key to the practice are associates Panpan Tang, a data transmission specialist, and Kelly Chen, who brings the experience of having worked in-house for a number of major internet technology companies operating in China.

Morrison Foerster regularly handles the data protection and compliance aspects of M&A deals, as well as cross-border data transfers and data breach responses. The firm assists major multinational IT, tech and healthcare companies operating in mainland China and more broadly across East Asian jurisdictions. The practice is jointly led by cybersecurity and robotics expert Chuan Sun, the regulatory compliance focussed Paul McKenzie – both located in Shanghai – and Hong Kong based SaaS platforms and video game industry specialist Gordon Miller. Associate Ting Ting Gao, who focuses on financial services sector data security matters, is also key.

Reed Smith LLP represents a stellar client list of financial services, media and IT companies operating in China. The team is headed by Barbara Li, recommended for providing ‘accurate, timely, and practical advice‘, who joined the firm from Rui Bai Law Firm in October 2022. Li’s range of work includes data mapping, data strategy and compliance advice, designing data programs and protocols, overseeing cross-border data transfers and managing data breaches. Further names to note include Amy Yin, who specialises in data protection work for clients in the life sciences and green technology sectors, and Sarah Xiong , whose focus is on compliance and digitalisation projects.

Baker McKenzie FenXun‘s TMT practice regularly advises on complex data protection and cybersecurity matters, including regulatory compliance, data storage reviews and investigations. The team is led by experienced media and IP lawyer Lex Kuo, based in Hong Kong, and Shanghai-based Zhenyu Ruan, an expert in advising financial services companies on data privacy. Special counsel Grace Gao is also a key contact.

Bird & Bird has a mainland China presence for data protection law through Beijing-based James Gong. Gong has a strong understanding of the local regulatory landscape in China having worked in this field for a decade. He regularly assists major multinationals, including Sony, with their GDPR and systems compliance matters. He is also well-placed to advise on data transfers and breaches.

Linklaters assists a number of well-known multinational clients in several sectors with the implementation of data compliance programmes under China’s new data protection laws, as well as advising on commercial technology transactions and licensing matters. The Shanghai team is led by data management and cybersecurity expert Alex Roberts.