Charles Yao

Introduction

Charles Yao serves as a partner at the Beijing headquarters of Jingtian & Gongcheng, bringing with him over 15 years of extensive experience in the legal profession. His expertise primarily encompasses cross-border investment, mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure investment, mining and energy investment, real estate investment and corporate capital operations. Throughout his distinguished career, Yao has been associated with several prestigious international law firms and a domestic law firm.

Yao has provided expert consultancy services in cross-border investment, mergers and acquisitions, and project financing to a multitude of large state-owned and private enterprises. His innovative approach to structuring projects, combining legal acumen with business insights, has earned him wide recognition and respect within the industry.

Yao has been selected as the member of the National Talent Pool of Lawyers Specialising in Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Justice; named as one of the China Top 15 Rising Lawyers by 2019 Asian Legal Business; lauded as the Most Satisfied Lawyer of the Client by 2019 Asia law Leading Lawyers; named among the Notable Practitioners in Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions by 2020 and 2021 Asialaw Profiles; lauded as the Asia Pacific Leading Lawyer in Project and Energy by 2021 Legal 500, in the A-List Legal Elite: Outstanding Lawyers in China’s Business in 2022 by 2022 Commercial Law, and as the Best Energy and Infrastructure Lawyer by 2022 Asian Lawyer; named among the Top 15 foreign-related lawyers by 2023 Legalband; lauded in the A-List Legal Elite: Elite of China’s Business Legal Industry by 2023 Commercial Law and in the 2025 Asia Pacific Greater China List of Leading Lawyers in Real Estate and Construction Engineering by 2024 Legal 500.

Yao was admitted to the PRC Bar and New York Bar. He works in English and Chinese.