Mr. Ming Wu studied law in Shanghai, Nottingham (UK), and Vienna (Austria). Mr. Wu is dually qualified to practice law in both China and England and Wales. He has been practicing law full-time in Shanghai since 2001. In May 2023, Mr. Wu was admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). In July 2023, he was appointed as one of six international judges to the Independent Employment Tribunal of the international organization, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO). Mr. Wu currently serves as an arbitrator of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), a Specialist Mediator (China) of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), and an arbitrator of the Nanjing Arbitration Commission. He is also a Leader of the International Dispute Resolution (including International Arbitration) Practice of Dacheng and the Director of the Cross-Border Arbitration Practice Study Center of Dacheng Shanghai.

Mr. Wu's practice areas include International Arbitration and Cross-border Litigation, Chinese Outbound Investment, Regulatory and Compliance, Corporate M&A and Financing, Sports and Entertainment, etc.

Mr. Wu specializes in international arbitration and possesses extensive and in-depth practical experience in the field. He frequently represents both domestic and foreign clients as counsel for claimants or respondents in arbitral proceedings before major international arbitration institutions. He is well-versed in the arbitration rules of leading institutions and has substantial hands-on experience participating in arbitral hearings in Switzerland, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Mr. Wu has handled numerous international arbitration cases managed by institutions including LCIA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, CIETAC, SHIAC, SCIA, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Notably, Mr. Wu represented the claimant in an HKIAC arbitration and successfully secured an interim measure from the Chongqing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court over assets exceeding RMB 200 million. This landmark case was the first of its kind in Chongqing, establishing an important local precedent. He has also acted on behalf of parties seeking recognition and enforcement in Mainland China of final arbitral awards rendered by overseas institutions such as CAS and the International Cotton Association (ICA). Among these, the recognition and enforcement of a CAS arbitral award by the Dalian No. 1 Intermediate People's Court was the first case of its kind in China. In addition to his counsel work, Mr. Wu also serves as an arbitrator in international arbitration cases administered by institutions like the Finland Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Institute (FAI). In recognition of his longstanding dedication and wide-ranging expertise in the field of international arbitration, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) admitted Mr. Wu as a Fellow in May 2023, underscoring his professional authority and credibility in the field. Mr. Wu's experience in international commercial arbitration spans a wide variety of disputes, including joint venture contracts, share transfer disputes, corporate control disputes, international construction and engineering disputes, international equipment supply disputes, international trade and commission agreement disputes, private equity repurchase disputes, offshore bond investment disputes, and employee compensation and equity incentive disputes.

In addition to international arbitration, Mr. Wu also frequently represents clients in litigation in multiple jurisdictions including China, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Cayman Islands.

Mr. Wu previously led one of domestic leading legal teams specializing in outbound investment, assisting Chinese clients in effectively addressing a wide range of complex issues arising in their overseas investments. His extensive experience in this field spans sectors such as infrastructure, power generation, mining, port operations, manufacturing, tobacco, and online gaming. The overseas investment projects he has handled are located across a broad range of countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Romania, Montenegro, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

Mr. Wu is one of the most experienced lawyers in China providing international sports arbitration services to professional sports clubs. He has represented Chinese football clubs in a wide range of disputes before FIFA and CAS, involving foreign players, coaches, and overseas clubs. He has also acted for Chinese basketball clubs in arbitration proceedings before the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) concerning disputes with foreign players. Mr. Wu's experience in the traditional sports industry also covers equity transfers of sports clubs, commercial licensing arrangements with national sports associations, authorization of international table tennis tournaments, media rights and broadcasting (including television and streaming platforms), sponsorship and promotion, as well as sports venue development. With the rise of the new economy, Mr. Wu's practice has naturally expanded to include emerging sectors such as esports, online gaming, social media, and artificial intelligence. Since 2015, he has served as PRC legal counsel to a globally renowned online gaming and esports company in organizing and hosting its global championship tournaments, and has acted as the official arbitrator for internal disputes between esports clubs and players. In September 2019, Mr. Wu was named one of LegalBand’s Top 10 Esports Lawyers in China. From 2020 to 2024, he was ranked for five consecutive years as a leading lawyer in the "Sports & Entertainment" category of LegalBand’s Top Lawyers in China.

Represented an overseas real estate private equity fund in an arbitration initiated before HKIAC concerning a dispute over an equity transfer agreement. Acted for the fund throughout the proceedings, including obtaining an interim measure in Mainland China and attending the merits hearing in Hong Kong. The amount in dispute exceeded USD 30 million. The case involved the application of both PRC and Hong Kong laws.

Represented a Chinese intelligent automotive manufacturing engineering design company in an arbitration initiated before SIAC against a Singapore company concerning a dispute over a sales agreement for automobile manufacturing equipment to be installed and constructed on-site in South Africa. Acted for the client throughout the arbitral proceedings. The governing law was Singapore law.

Represented a Chinese automotive parts manufacturing company in defending an arbitration initiated by a U.S. company before SIAC, involving a dispute over an international sales and service commission agreement. Acted for the respondent throughout the arbitration proceedings. The substantive law applicable to the case was the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (2016).

Represented a Canadian chemical company in defending an arbitration initiated by a Chinese company before CIETAC, involving a dispute over an international sales of goods contract. Acted for the respondent throughout the arbitration proceedings. The substantive law applicable to the case included the Incoterms® 2020 and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

Represented a U.S. manufacturer of aircraft parts production equipment in an arbitration initiated before SHIAC against a Chinese aircraft parts manufacturer, involving a dispute over an international sales and equipment installation contract. Acted for the claimant throughout the arbitration proceedings.

Represented a well-known Chinese football club in a series of international sports arbitration cases initiated by foreign players, coaches, and overseas football clubs before the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (FIFA DRC) and CAS. The disputes involved employment contract issues with players and coaches, as well as solidarity mechanism claims. Worked alongside a team of Spanish lawyers and acted for the respondent throughout the proceedings, including participating in in-person hearings before CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland. The total amount in dispute exceeded RMB 200 million.

Represented an Italian company in a series of litigation and arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute over the control of a Sino-foreign joint venture in China, involving an amount exceeding RMB 200 million. After navigating complex procedures—including first-instance proceedings before an intermediate court, appellate proceedings before a high court, and the recognition and enforcement in China of a favourable ICC arbitral award—successfully assisted the client in regaining control of the joint venture.

Represented clients from Spain and Uruguay in successfully applying for the recognition and enforcement of a final arbitral award rendered by CAS before the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court. The application was granted, and the full amount awarded was successfully enforced. This case marked the first instance of a final CAS award being recognized and enforced in Mainland China.

Represented a state-owned enterprise in providing comprehensive legal services for its acquisition of a port project in Vietnam. Acted as the lead coordinator in forming and managing a cross-border legal team with local counsel. The scope of work included legal research on Vietnam’s business environment and market access regulations, investment structure design, legal due diligence on the project, commercial negotiations, drafting and reviewing transaction documents, and assisting with the establishment of offshore entities.

Represented a state-owned power company in its investment in a biomass power plant project in Sri Lanka, providing full-scope legal services for the outbound investment as lead coordinator. In the later stage of the project, assisted the company with its exit from the investment, taking charge of the entire process, including project liquidation, tax clearance, closure of offshore bank accounts, deregistration of the overseas subsidiary, and cancellation of the outbound investment registration with the Ministry of Commerce. The services were highly recognized and praised by the client.

Represented a state-owned enterprise in connection with its overseas investment project for the construction of a manufacturing facility in Ethiopia, providing specialized legal services related to construction contracts and offshore supply contracts with domestic suppliers.

Represented a U.S. unicorn online gaming company in connection with its acquisition of a self-developed mobile game studio from a Chinese online game developer, providing legal services including legal due diligence, intellectual property transfer analysis, and drafting of transaction documents.

Represented a globally renowned online game developer in providing legal advisory services related to the China regional competitions and global finals of a well-known online game esports tournament. The scope of services included matters concerning participation of Chinese clubs, services of players and coaches, tournament operations, broadcasting rights, game content licensing, sponsorship cooperation, procurement, customization, and sale of game-related merchandise, as well as legal support for commentary, hosting, and talent management activities associated with the tournament.

Represented numerous domestic banking institutions in issuing legal opinions on the compliance of various transactions, including buyer’s credit agreements, issuance of irrevocable standby letters of credit, guaranteed note subscription agreements, and bond-related projects.