8月3日，“汤森路透ALB”公众号刊发植德出海业务中心专访报道，全文转载如下。
荣登"2026 ALB China律师事务所海外业务排名"榜单的植德律师事务所，近年来加速布局境外网络，携手49个国家及地区的合作律所，为中国企业全产业链出海提供一站式法律服务。植德管委会成员、业促委及出海业务牵头人蔡庆虹律师向ALB讲述了中企出海3.0新趋势与植德全球化服务战略。
近一两年，植德感知到中国企业的出海需求发生了哪些变化？在客户行业构成、出海目的地选择以及出海方式等方面，是否出现了新的趋势？
蔡庆虹律师：在我们看来，中国企业近二年的出海是“走出去”的3.0版本，一方面，出海方式、出海目的地更加多元化，另一方面，受国际政治形势和区域性冲突影响，对于前瞻化、组织化、合规化有了更高的要求。站在法律服务行业的视角上，合规出海正在成为必选项，而非可选项。基于植德近二年服务出海企业的经验，我们看到，出海需求在资源类行业、新能源行业、电动车行业、消费品行业最为集中，同时带动了行业上下游的全产业链出海，这些行业中的中国制造力和中国技术研发力成为出海驱动力量。在出海目的方面，以一带一路国家为主体，包括东南亚、非洲和南美洲，当然每个区域的重点不同，例如出海非洲的企业比较多在资源类行业和小家电行业中，东南亚基于其地理位置优势，则有更加多元的行业纷纷出海。出海方式的多元化体现为：产品出海（例如跨境电商）、技术出海（license-out）、服务出海、资本出海。资本出海具体体现为绿地投资、新设开厂、合资合作，也有大量跨境并购案例出现。这些出海方式中需要的法律服务也各不相同，覆盖了海关贸易、知识产权、供应链合规、数据合规、投资并购等各个业务领域。
在境内外协同机制、海外办公室布局或合作网络等方面，植德取得了哪些重要进展？
蔡庆虹律师：植德已于2023年在香港设立了第一个境外办公室，2026年正在筹办硅谷办公室，未来计划在新加坡、中东等核心地域也设立海外办公室。当前植德主要依赖合作律师事务所服务于出海企业。自2024年以来，植德不断通过各种方式拓展全球合作网络，目前为止已经和49个国家或地区的律师事务所建立了合作关系，其中半数为深入、高频合作伙伴，且在部分国家和地域有多个各有专长的合作伙伴。未来植德计划根据自身发展情况、客户实际需求等以自建海外办公室+Best Friends合作的模式拓宽自身的全球合作网络。
在海外业务持续扩张的背景下，植德如何不断提升这一领域的核心竞争力？
蔡庆虹律师：植德当前出海业务合伙人已有近二十位，覆盖了跨境投资并购、项目融资、国际工程、数据合规、管制与制裁合规、国际仲裁等不同业务领域，合伙人和律师均具有双语工作能力，多数拥有中国和境外法律教育背景或律师资格。过去三年以来，植德已经承办了若干具有市场影响力和知名度的出海案例。当前企业出海法律需求剧增，法律服务人才队伍则处于相对滞后阶段。出海目的国时时发生的政策调整和政治经济格局变动也带来信息实时性方面的极大挑战。因此，植德正在从三个方面集中全所力量建设自身的核心竞争力：（1）整合全所律师从事出海业务过程中积累的各国法律法规、法律研究成果，搭建了自有出海知识库，并由专人进行定期更新维护；（2）不定期开展内部工作坊和培训，集中力量分工研讨和分享出海业务实操经验；（3）发挥人工智能的效率提升作用，一方面积极调用AI工具助力法律检索和调研，另一方面开发了“出海宝”自有AI工具，以实现精准检索，打破知识壁垒。
Merits & Tree Law Offices, featured in the 2026 ALB China Overseas Practice Law Firm Ranking, has accelerated its international expansion in recent years, partnering with firms across 49 countries and territories to provide Chinese enterprises with one-stop legal services covering their entire outbound value chain. Cai Qinghong, a member of the firm's Management Committee and head of its Business Promotion Committee and Overseas Practice Centre, spoke to ALB about the emerging trends in Chinese outbound business and the firm's global service strategy.
What shifts in outbound demand from Chinese enterprises has Merits & Tree observed? Are there new trends in client industries, destination choices, or modes of going global?
Cai Qinghong: In our view, Chinese enterprises' outbound activity over the past two years represents a 3.0 version of going global — one marked by greater diversity in both destination and mode, but also by heightened demands for planning, organisation, and compliance driven by geopolitics and regional conflicts. Compliant outbound expansion is becoming a necessity, not an option.Demand is concentrated most heavily in resources, new energy, electric vehicles, and consumer goods — sectors pulling entire supply chains overseas on the strength of Chinese manufacturing and R&D. Belt and Road countries predominate as destinations, spanning Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America, each with its own sectoral emphasis.Outbound modes have also diversified across product exports (e-commerce), technology (license-out), service exports, and capital outflows through greenfield investment, joint ventures, and cross-border M&A — each generating distinct legal needs across customs, intellectual property, supply-chain compliance, data compliance, and investment transactions.
What significant progress has Merits & Tree made in domestic-overseas coordination, overseas office presence, or its cooperation network?
Cai Qinghong: Merits & Tree opened its first overseas office in Hong Kong in 2023 and is currently preparing to establish a Silicon Valley office in 2026, with Singapore and the Middle East identified as future locations. At present, the firm primarily serves outbound clients through its referral network. Since 2024, we have steadily expanded our global partnerships and have now established relationships with law firms in 49 countries or territories, half of which are deep, high-frequency partners. Going forward, we plan to broaden our network through a combination of self-built overseas offices and Best Friends arrangements, calibrated to the firm's development and clients' actual needs.
How does Merits & Tree continually strengthen its core competitiveness in overseas practice?
Cai Qinghong: Our outbound practice comprises nearly 20 partners covering cross-border M&A, project finance, international construction, data compliance, sanctions and export controls, and international arbitration. Partners and associates are bilingual, and most hold qualifications from both Chinese and overseas jurisdictions. Over the past three years, the firm has handled a number of high-profile outbound matters.Demand for outbound legal services is surging while the talent pool remains underdeveloped, and constant policy shifts in destination countries pose real-time information challenges. Merits & Tree is responding on three fronts: building a proprietary knowledge base of cross-border legal research maintained by dedicated staff; running regular internal workshops to share practical outbound experience; and leveraging AI — including the firm's own "Chuhai Bao" platform — for precise legal retrieval and breaking down knowledge barriers.
*专访同时刊登于ALB中国版 2026年7月刊 杂志。
调配全所资源、长期陪伴客户的一站式法律服务
