Minter Ellison, yesterday announced the appointment of Ms Yi Yi Wu as chief representative of the firm's Shanghai office.

The appointment comes after DLA Piper announced the appointment of Minter Ellison's Wan Li, who joined as a partner. The firm said Mr Li is regarded an expert in corporate transactions relating to greater China, with a focus on the infrastructure, natural resources and energy sectors. 

A PRC and Australian qualified lawyer who practised in China and Australia for a number of years, Minter Ellison's new recruit, Wu, has strong corporate and commercial credentials with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, corporate finance, employment and real estate, the firm said. 

Wu is also a former head of legal at associate general counsel at the InterContinental Hotels Group for greater China, based in Shanghai.

Wu first joined Minter Ellison in Melbourne in 2001 and was the acting chief representative of the firm's Shanghai office in 2002.

Minter Ellison's managing partner, international, Mark Green, said Wu's appointment was important to the firm's China strategy.

Green said China is a key market for the firm, which has established a solid base in Shanghai and is now set to open a new office in Beijing. 

"Our focus is on strategic positioning and alignment with capital flow and Yi Yi has the skills and experience to assist our business in China, especially assisting domestic and international clients with their inbound and outbound investment legal needs."

Wu herself said her focus would be to work closely with the firm's offices in Hong Kong, Australasia and the United Kingdom to continue to raise the profile of the firm's China practice.