**Callenders & Co.** has established a Chinese correspondent partnership, the first Bahamian law firm to do so. The Beijing-based correspondent is law firm **Jincheng & Tongda.**

Speaking with The Tribune recently, Senior Litigation Partner Michael Scott said the move was designed to help tap into China’s economic potential, and that Callenders & Co. is actively pushing its China connections, for the most part through the firm’s London Office. That office was opened earlier this year to act as a bridge between The Bahamas, the Far East and Eastern Europe.

In addition to promoting The Bahamas’ financial services and shipping registry potential in China, Mr. Scott sees tremendous opportunity for developing Freeport’s potential as a port, ship repair facility, storage terminal and transhipment hub for Chinese firms.

According to Mr. Scott, the rapid development of China’s economy and the increase in the numbers of high net worth individuals and their families have created a natural market for the Bahamian financial services industry, given its broad range of wealth management products – including international business companies, trusts, and foundations.

Jincheng & Tongda Law Firm was one of the earliest private law firms established in China and has become one of the foremost law firms in the country. It is a full-service law firm, offering corporate, securities, finance, tax, real estate, intellectual property, international investment, trade law, litigation and arbitration services.

The law firm has its head office in Beijing with branch offices in Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Xi’an. It established an office in Los Angeles in 1998, and is one of the very few Chinese law firms to have an overseas branch office. Jincheng & Tongda is a member of Changjiang Lawyers Network, Advoc Asia and Laworld.

Jincheng also has extensive relationships with law firms in the USA, EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and Macau.