Two Huang & Huang Cases Named in LegalOne “Deals of the Year in China 2025”
31.08.2026 |NEWS&ARTICLES
On 26 August 2026, “Deals of the Year in China 2025” award has been published by LegalOne, where two cases handled by Huang & Huang have been listed, before which recognized Exemplary Merits.
On 26 August 2026, LegalOne published its “Deals of the Year in China 2025” award. Two cases handled by Huang & Huang were included on the list, both of which had previously received an Exemplary Merits rating from LegalOne.
· Insurer secures favourable recovery in significant offshore wind farm allision case – handled by Huang & Huang’s Managing Partner Mr. Huang Hui and Partner Ms. Chen Xiaoling.
Both matters were recognised for their innovative legal strategies and the team’s strong practical skills in resolving complex, high‑stakes disputes.
The first case arose from a main engine failure on a Singapore-flagged vessel en route from Chile to Nansha Port, China. The vessel drifted for two weeks and arrived over a month behind schedule, resulting in the total loss of more than 1,000 containers of Chilean cherries with an aggregate value exceeding USD 100 million.
In this case, Huang & Huang assisted a Chilean fruit exporter in securing the preservation of all required evidence – totalling over 1,700 files and more than 3,000 pages – within less than 24 hours of the vessel’s berthing in China. This was achieved without creating any risk of vessel‑delay claims, thanks to prompt coordination with the court and swift action on the ground.
Building on the principle that “what is not forbidden by law is permitted,” Huang & Huang obtained court approval for a novel mechanism combining a court ruling, party consent, and joint witnessing for cross‑border evidence transfer and delivery. This approach eliminated the need for time‑consuming judicial transmission of the preserved evidence, and has since served as a replicable model for using evidence preserved in China in foreign legal proceedings.
The case was recognised for its typicality and practical reference value, significantly enhancing the international reputation of China’s rule‑of‑law business environment and the global influence of its foreign‑related legal services. In addition to being named a “Deal of the Year in China 2025” by LegalOne, it also received the First Prize for Business Achievements from the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, and was selected as a “Paragon Case of the Year 2025” by LEXPRESS.
In this case, Huang & Huang assisted a Chilean fruit exporter in securing the preservation of all required evidence – totalling over 1,700 files and more than 3,000 pages – within less than 24 hours of the vessel’s berthing in China. This was achieved without creating any risk of vessel‑delay claims, thanks to prompt coordination with the court and swift action on the ground.
Building on the principle that “what is not forbidden by law is permitted,” Huang & Huang obtained court approval for a novel mechanism combining a court ruling, party consent, and joint witnessing for cross‑border evidence transfer and delivery. This approach eliminated the need for time‑consuming judicial transmission of the preserved evidence, and has since served as a replicable model for using evidence preserved in China in foreign legal proceedings.
The case was recognised for its typicality and practical reference value, significantly enhancing the international reputation of China’s rule‑of‑law business environment and the global influence of its foreign‑related legal services. In addition to being named a “Deal of the Year in China 2025” by LegalOne, it also received the First Prize for Business Achievements from the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, and was selected as a “Paragon Case of the Year 2025” by LEXPRESS.
The second case concerns an insurance liability dispute arising from damage caused by an offshore wind power operation platform to wind farm facilities, as well as resulting personal injuries and fatalities during Typhoon “Chaba” in July 2022. This incident triggered a cascade of disputes involving hull insurance, damage to wind farm installations, and salvage costs, with total claims reaching RMB 1.26 billion.
Acting for the property insurer of one of the affected offshore wind farms, Huang & Huang managed the entire process – from accident investigation and evidence preservation to guiding the insurance claim, and subsequently leading subrogation litigation against the vessel’s owners, charterers, and three related construction companies.
Huang & Huang successfully facilitated coordinated mediation between the second‑instance court (Guangdong Higher People’s Court) and the first‑instance court (Guangzhou Maritime Court) for a series of property claims arising from the vessel’s damage to the facilities (totalling approximately RMB 700 million). These efforts established a novel inter‑court mediation mechanism for handling multi‑party disputes, and ultimately secured a highly favourable recovery share for the client from the limitation fund. The outcome enabled the client to achieve a swift recovery while effectively mitigating protracted litigation risks – aligning perfectly with their commercial objectives.
This case was also named among the “Deals of the Year 2025” by the leading legal publication China Business Law Journal. It was selected for its typicality, complexity, and social impact, and was included among the seven “Typical Cases of Judicial Service Safeguarding High-Quality Development of the Marine Economy” by China’s Supreme People’s Court at its press conference. The Supreme People’s Court highlighted it as a leading example of effectively balancing the legitimate rights and interests of both the responsible party and affected stakeholders. The resolution allowed wind power operators to recover capital quickly, significantly strengthened investor confidence, reinforced insurers’ willingness to underwrite offshore wind projects, and provided strong judicial support for enhancing maritime adjudication and fostering the development of new‑quality marine productive forces.
To date, a total of eight cases handled by Huang & Huang have received Exemplary Merits ratings from LegalOne, six of which have been named “Deals of the Year in China” since 2023.
These achievements reflect the capability of the Huang & Huang team in navigating complex legal issues and delivering effective outcomes for clients. We remain committed to providing rigorous, pragmatic, and efficient legal services that support the clients’ business objectives.
Related Reports:
1. Case 1 Named Among “Paragon Case of the Year 2025” by LEXPRESS https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/n7ovzTWgkXGDZ3wEcN0HhA
2. Supreme People’s Court Holds Press Conference on “Typical Cases of Judicial Services Safeguarding High-Quality Development of the Marine Economy”
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fb9UjWC8X888DYswaK6rwQ
3. China Business Law Journal Announces “Deals of the Year” Winners
https://law.asia/china/china-deals-of-the-year-2025/#Domestic_17
4. Huang & Huang’s Official Account Post for Case 2
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hDVV0pzgtN4f6HGmbI1UsQ