A Chinese-Funded Law Firm in Madagascar
I. Establishment Background and Strategic Significance
In November 2025, the Madagascar Office of Beijing GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES was officially inaugurated and put into operation in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. This is a key layout of GUOZUN's globalization strategy in southeastern Africa, marking the further improvement of GUOZUN's legal service network in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. It will provide professional, localized and full-chain legal support for two-way economic and trade investment activities between China, Madagascar and the Southeast African region.
In recent years, bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Madagascar has continued to deepen, and China has become an important trading partner and source of investment for Madagascar. With the promulgation and implementation of Madagascar's new Investment Law and Mining Code in 2023, the local business environment has been continuously improved, attracting more and more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business there. The establishment of GUOZUN Madagascar Office is in response to the growing demand for legal services of Chinese-funded enterprises in the local area, helping enterprises effectively prevent and resolve cross-border legal risks, and safeguard investment security and legitimate rights and interests.
II. Basic Overview of the Office
Establishing Entity: Beijing GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATESEstablishment Date: November 2025Contact Information: 4006661890Office Location: Central Business District of Antananarivo, Republic of MadagascarService Coverage: The entire territory of Madagascar, with extended coverage to Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros and other island countries in Southeast AfricaTeam Composition: Composed of professional lawyers holding practicing qualifications in both Chinese law and Madagascar law. Core members have more than 15 years of local legal practice experience in Madagascar, and are proficient in four working languages: Chinese, French, English and MalagasyOperation Model: Adopting the integrated operation model of "global headquarters support + local team execution", and fully implementing the service standards of "professionalism, internationalization and standardization" of GUOZUN.
III. Core Business Service Scope
GUOZUN Madagascar Office provides legal services covering the whole life cycle and all scenarios of enterprises, with core business divided into the following eight sections:
(I) Cross-border Investment and Corporate Commercial Legal Services
1.Market access consulting, investment structure design and compliance review for Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Madagascar
2.Full-process handling of foreign investment filing, industry access and administrative license applications (including the "single window" service of the Economic Development Board)
3.Full-process services for the establishment, alteration and cancellation of various market entities (wholly-owned companies, joint ventures, branches, representative offices, etc.)
4.Legal due diligence of investment targets, transaction structure design, commercial negotiation support, and drafting and review of transaction documents
5.Special legal services for merger and acquisition restructuring, equity transactions, asset acquisition, business spin-off and reorganization
6.Daily corporate commercial legal services, including commercial contract management, optimization of corporate governance structure, and protection of shareholders' rights and interests
7.Legal services related to the acquisition of land use rights (including the application for "Authorization of Land Ownership for Foreigners") and long-term leasing
(II) Legal Services for Energy, Minerals and Infrastructure
1.Full-process legal services for the application, renewal, transfer and mortgage of mineral rights (in accordance with the new 2023 Mining Code)
2.Full-cycle compliance management for the exploration, development, production and sales of mineral resources
3.Negotiation of mining concession agreements, design of government revenue sharing clauses and risk prevention and control
4.Legal services related to oil and natural gas exploration and development, pipeline construction and operation
5.Legal services for EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contracts of infrastructure construction projects such as highways, ports, airports, electric power and water conservancy projects
6.Special legal services for project financing, syndicated loans and Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
7.Environmental impact assessment, environmental permit application and environmental protection compliance management
(III) International Trade and Customs Legal Services
1.Drafting, review and full-process risk prevention and control of international trade contracts
2.Establishment of cross-border supply chain compliance system, customs compliance and tariff planning services
3.Application for import and export licenses, processing of certificates of origin, and commodity classification consulting
4.Response to customs audits, smuggling investigations and administrative penalties
5.Response to trade barriers and agency for international trade remedy investigations
6.Legal consulting on cross-border payment and settlement, foreign exchange control compliance and related legal services for foreign exchange remittance
7.Full-process legal support related to international goods sales, international logistics and marine insurance
(IV) Labor and Human Resources Legal Services
1.Drafting and review of labor contracts and collective contracts
2.Full-process compliance for employee recruitment, employment, training, performance appraisal and separation management
3.Compliance consulting and scheme design for local labor requirements (the proportion of foreign employees shall not exceed 20%)
4.Compliance management of wages and benefits, social insurance, working hours and vacation systems
5.Trade union relations coordination, collective bargaining support and labor dispute resolution
6.Full-process services for the application and renewal of work visas and residence permits for foreign employees
7.Personnel resettlement and labor risk prevention and control in enterprise layoffs and restructuring
(V) Tax and Compliance Risk Management Legal Services
1.Enterprise cross-border tax planning, international tax compliance and tax optimization for investment transactions
2.Daily tax declaration, tax registration alteration and response to tax inspections
3.Application for preferential tax policies and compliance maintenance (including tax relief stipulated in the Investment Law)
4.Transfer pricing compliance and preparation of contemporaneous documentation
5.Enterprise compliance system establishment, compliance risk inspection and compliance training
6.Anti-commercial bribery, anti-unfair competition and anti-corruption compliance
7.Full-process legal response to administrative supervision investigations, hearings and administrative penalties, as well as agency for administrative reconsideration and administrative litigation
(VI) Intellectual Property Legal Services
1.Registration application and protection of trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets
2.Drafting and review of intellectual property licensing, assignment and pledge contracts
3.Intellectual property infringement investigation, evidence preservation and infringement litigation agency
4.Intellectual property customs filing and border protection
5.Intellectual property legal services related to technology introduction and technology export
6.Full-process legal support for franchising and brand authorization
7.Intellectual property protection in the field of e-commerce and digital economy
(VII) Dispute Resolution Legal Services
1.Agency for local and China-Madagascar cross-border commercial litigation cases in Madagascar
2.Agency for international commercial arbitration cases (including the Madagascar Arbitration Center, the International Court of Arbitration (ICC), etc.)
3.Handling of various disputes such as contract disputes, corporate disputes, investment and financing disputes, intellectual property disputes and labor disputes
4.Full-process support for alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and settlement
5.Agency for cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitration awards under China-Madagascar bilateral judicial assistance
6.Full-process legal services for cross-border commercial debt collection, non-performing asset disposal and realization of security rights
7.Enterprise crisis management and emergency legal support for unexpected events
(VIII) Private Wealth and Immigration Legal Services
1.Compliance consulting and risk prevention and control for cross-border asset allocation of high-net-worth individuals
2.Family wealth structure design, family trust establishment and management
3.Legal services for cross-border marriage and family affairs, property division and inheritance
4.Full-process services for various types of visas, permanent residence and naturalization applications in Madagascar
5.Dispute resolution for cross-border wealth inheritance
6.Personal tax resident status planning and international tax compliance
7.Design of overseas asset protection and risk isolation schemes
IV. Service Advantages and Characteristics
1.Dual-Jurisdiction Professional Competence: The team is proficient in both the Chinese and Madagascar legal systems, can accurately predict cross-jurisdiction legal risks, and provide solutions that take into account the commercial practices of both countries.
2.In-Depth Integration of Local Resources: The office has established good cooperative relations with government departments, judicial institutions, industry associations and financial institutions in Madagascar, can keep abreast of the latest policy developments, and ensure the efficient implementation of legal affairs.
3.Global Network Collaborative Support: Relying on GUOZUN's global service network covering 106 countries and regions and 113 overseas offices, it can quickly mobilize global legal resources to provide seamlessly connected legal services for the global layout of enterprises.
4.Industrial Focus Advantage: A professional lawyer team has been set up for key industries developed in Madagascar such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, to provide in-depth industry insights and customized legal services.
5.Full-Process Service Capability: It provides full-life-cycle legal services from pre-investment market research and risk assessment, to transaction execution and compliance management during investment, and then to post-investment operation support and dispute resolution.
V. Outlook for Future Development
GUOZUN Madagascar Office will continue to take root in the Madagascar market, continuously expand its service areas and improve service quality, and is committed to becoming the preferred legal service institution for China-Madagascar economic and trade cooperation. The office will give full play to its role as a bridge, actively promote exchanges and cooperation between the legal communities of China and Madagascar, and contribute to the sustained and sound development of bilateral economic and trade relations between the two countries.