SUN Yi

Qualification

　　Licensed Attorney in China, Certified Public Accountant (China), Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) Senior Corporate Compliance Officer

Professional Experience

　　Attorney Sun Yi possesses multidisciplinary educational backgrounds in law, taxation, and English. She currently serves as a Member of the International Trade & Free Trade Zone Business Research Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association, Adjunct Professor at the School of International Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Adjunct Professor at Shandong University of Political Science and Law, Member of the Legal Services Professional Committee of the China Customs Brokers Association, and is recognized as an "International Economic Special Talent Expert" in Qingdao. She also holds the qualifications of Chinese Certified Public Accountant and ACCA Chartered Certified Accountant.

　　Throughout her career, Attorney Sun Yi has provided comprehensive one-stop legal services covering international trade, customs, tax compliance, and cross-border investment and financing to numerous Fortune 500 companies, large central state-owned enterprises, and domestic and foreign listed companies, including China Merchants Group, Sinotrans, CMST, CNFC, Xiangyun Logistics, Vipshop, Hexagon, Lukang Pharmaceutical, Fengguang Precision, and Jianbang Technology, earning widespread client acclaim.

Practice Areas

　　Customs Law, Import/Export & Tax Compliance Legal Services

　　• With nearly 20 years of experience in import/export trade, tax compliance administrative enforcement, theoretical research, and legal practice, Attorney Sun Yi provides clients with services including but not limited to: corporate tax compliance, special compliance concerning import/export duties, resolution of customs duty disputes, advice on customs audits and voluntary disclosures, legal remedies against customs administrative penalties, import/export compliance health checks and system construction, AEO certification guidance, defense against smuggling crimes, and intellectual property customs protection. She offers personalized and effective in-depth solutions for practical issues clients face related to fiscal/tax law, customs law, and import/export compliance, and designs import/export compliance solutions aiming for tax minimization for multinational corporate clients.

　　International Trade Compliance & Dispute Resolution

　　• Leveraging her profound legal expertise and commercial acumen, Attorney Sun Yi assists clients in designing transaction structures, participating in commercial negotiations, drafting/reviewing/revising various international trade contracts and legal documents, managing legal risks at all stages of international trade or import/export agency businesses, assisting clients in dispute mediation, representing clients in domestic litigation/arbitration and international commercial arbitration cases, and applying for the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, all to protect clients' economic interests and legal rights to the greatest extent possible.

　　Comprehensive Legal Services for Chinese Enterprises "Going Global"

　　• Attorney Sun Yi's multidisciplinary professional background enables her to leverage global trade rules to provide clients with long-term strategies and practical commercial solutions for their cross-border business practices. She offers comprehensive legal services for Chinese enterprises expanding overseas, including but not limited to: structural design, due diligence, transaction negotiation, drafting relevant agreements, ODI filing, navigating various host country reviews, project closing, post-closing integration assistance, and compliance management for domestic and overseas entities after the international expansion.

　　Corporate & Capital Markets Legal Services

　　• In addition to her expertise in foreign-related legal services, Attorney Sun Yi is also an accomplished corporate and capital markets lawyer. She works with her team to provide a wide range of legal services to listed companies, pre-IPO companies, and high-quality medium and large enterprises. These services cover corporate law, equity matters, contracts, domestic and overseas IPOs, restructurings, spin-offs, acquisitions of listed companies, refinancing, major asset restructurings, M&A and reorganizations, delistings, equity incentive and employee stock ownership plans, and ESG disclosures.

Representative Cases

　　• Provided specialized advisory services to a US-funded enterprise regarding supply chain adjustments in response to additional tariffs.

　　• Conducted specialized import/export customs compliance review for a large state-owned enterprise.

　　• Provided specialized advisory support to a Fortune 500 multinational group concerning customs audits on royalty payments and transfer pricing.

　　• Represented a Guangzhou trading company in an administrative reconsideration case related to a customs audit.

　　• Provided specialized legal services for tax compliance planning on imported equipment for a large steel company.

　　• Designed tax compliance solutions for the import and domestic sales segments of parallel-imported vehicles.

　　• Developed compliance solutions for duty-free equipment for a subsidiary of a listed company.

　　• Conducted criminal defense for a wholly-owned subsidiary of a large central state-owned enterprise group and its responsible person regarding smuggling crimes.

　　• Conducted criminal defense for a well-known cross-border e-commerce company and its responsible person regarding smuggling crimes.

　　• Provided AEO certification support for over 30 Fortune 500, state-owned, and publicly listed companies (both domestic and overseas), achieving a 100% success rate.

　　• Designed equity structure, financing solutions, and customized articles of association for a cross-border e-commerce startup.

　　• Provided specialized legal services for equity and transaction structure design and tax compliance for a cross-border e-commerce group company.

　　• Represented a large meat import enterprise in an international trade arbitration.

　　• Represented a large joint venture in an arbitration concerning a foreign-related contract dispute.

　　• Represented a subsidiary of a large central state-owned enterprise in a maritime arbitration case concerning ship repair.

　　• Provided specialized legal services for equity incentive plans and tax compliance for a large group company.

Publications

　　• EU Customs Code, Implementing Regulation for the EU Customs Code, Delegated Regulation for the EU Customs Code, China Customs Press.

　　• Leveraging Manifest Management Reform to Thoroughly Resolve Manifest Supervision Issues, Journal of Customs Supervision Practice & Research.

　　• A Brief Discussion on Supervision Risks and Prevention Strategies for Imported Cotton, Journal of Customs Enforcement Research.

　　• To Foreign Trade Enterprises Resuming Work: Claim Your Exclusive VIP Benefits as AEO-Certified Enterprises, China Customs Magazine.

　　• A "Sweet" Crime: White Sugar Import Compliance and Responses to Smuggling Crime Risks.

　　• Case Analysis: Unveiling the Intricacies of Cross-border E-commerce Smuggling Crimes.

　　• Cross-border E-commerce Retail Import Industry: Smuggling Crime Risk Prevention and Compliance Recommendations.

　　• Registering an Amazon Store? Don't Overlook the Risks of Nominee Shareholding

　　• Transitioning to Cross-border E-commerce? Compliance Must Come First.

Social Activities

　　• 2024: Member, International Trade & Free Trade Zone Professional Committee, Shanghai Lawyers Association

　　• 2023: Adjunct Professor, School of International Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law

　　• 2022: Member, International Trade Business Research Committee, Shanghai Lawyers Association

　　• 2021: Adjunct Professor, Shandong University of Political Science and Law

　　• 2020: Deputy Director, Customs & Tax Legal Advisory Professional Committee, Shandong Cross-border E-commerce Association

　　• 2019: International Economic Special Talent Expert, Qingdao City