CGCC Holds Seminar with Patton Boggs on Government Relations & Lobbying

April 26, 2012 -- Representatives of various major players in China-U.S. business gathered at the EisnerAmper New York Office in Midtown to discuss why lobbying is important to Chinese companies.  The seminar, titled “Government Relations & Lobbying for Chinese Companies Doing Business in the US: Myth and Reality”, was sponsored by new CGCC member Patton Boggs, hosted by EisnerAmper and co-organized by the China General Chamber of Commerce. During the two hour discussion, a panel of representatives from Patton Boggs gave brief overviews of what lobbying is and its influence on the government.

For a Chinese company first coming to America, it can be difficult to navigate the many policies in place regarding investment and business.  The panelists argued lobbying companies can help Chinese companies to form a relationship with the government and build mutual trust.  They are able to develop an effective way to present the company to the government dependent on the current economic and political climate.  By hiring a lobbying firm and better understanding the policies relevant to their business, the company can form a plan on how to take advantage of beneficial policies.  The panelists also discussed foreign lobbying registration issues, the Committee on Foreign Investment and how to choose the right lobbying firm.  They advised that lobbyists are necessary in highly regulated industries.

The panel was made up of Mark Cowan, Patton Boggs Partner and China Practice Co-chair, Robert Kapla, Patton Boggs Partner and China Practice Co-chair, and Nicholas Allard, Patton Boggs Partner & Dean of Brooklyn Law School. Welcoming Remarks were given by the host company, EisnerAmper, while Wendy Li, Patton Boggs Partner, gave the introduction and closing remarks.  Ms. Li also moderated the discussion.  At the conclusion of the panel discussion, participants were allotted half an hour for questions and the seminar was immediately followed by a two hour reception.  The seminar topic generated great interest among CGCC members and representatives from many member companies attended the event, including Bank of China, Baosteel America, Cathay Bank, China Construction Bank, China International Capital Corporation US Securities, China Merchants Bank, China Zeegoo Fine Arts, COSCO, DeHeng Chen LLC, East West Bank, Haier America, International Chinese Network, Jun He Law Office, Pan American, Sinopec, Starr Strategic Partners, State Grid, WISCO Global, and ZTE USA.