TASHKENT, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The first Chinese law firm in Uzbekistan opened here on Thursday.
Duan & Duan, one of the leading Chinese law firms, opened its overseas branch in Uzbekistan's capital to provide legal help for Chinese investors.
The law firm will study Uzbek national laws and compare them with Chinese and international legal documents to solve any arising problems. It will also work together with local lawyers to build "a type of bridge," the firm's head Wu Jian said at the opening ceremony.
"Currently many Chinese businessmen are interested in investing in Uzbekistan and in Central Asia as a whole. But they need a qualified legal service to feel confident and calm," Wu said.
"If an investor is served not only by a Chinese or Uzbek company, but by a joint law firm, then there will be more benefits and Chinese customers will be more relaxed. The main task ... is precisely to fill this gap," he said.
The firm will give competent answers to and provide high-quality services for Chinese investors, said Elbek Juraev, a lawyer at Duan & Duan's Tashkent office.
According to official data, China is one of the largest investors in Uzbekistan. Bilateral trade between the two countries surged 68.1 percent on year to 576 million U.S. dollars in January 2019, accounting for 17.2 percent of Uzbekistan's foreign trade.
