Chuan Sun

Chuan Sun
Managing Partner, Shanghai and Hong Kong

Suite 4401, HKRI Centre One

Shanghai, China 200041

csun@mofo.com

86 (21) 23225243

REGIONS

China

BAR ADMISSIONS

Illinois

Hong Kong

EDUCATION

Peking University, B.A.

Ohio State University, M.A.

Northwestern University, Ph.D.

Northwestern University, J.D.

Chuan Sun is Managing Partner of the Shanghai and Hong Kong offices.

Chuan focuses his practice on cross-border M&A transactions; sophisticated technology, media, and telecom (TMT) transactions; and complex IP/commercial matters across Greater China.

With more than 20 years of experience in both Asia and the U.S., Chuan regularly advises multinational corporations, state-owned enterprises, private companies, and PE/VC firms in complex cross-border M&A transactions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and business separation transactions.

Chuan has extensive experience in complex corporate-commercial and technology transactions across the Fintech, e-commerce, and broader TMT sectors. His work covers payment technology, eKYC, credit technology, blockchain, e-platform arrangements, R&D, co-development, technology collaborations, and IP licensing. He also advises on strategic outsourcing, manufacturing, distribution, supply, and franchising arrangements across various industries.

Chuan regularly counsels clients on cutting-edge technology and IP regulatory matters, including Fintech, data privacy, cybersecurity, data localization, cross-border data transfers, cloud computing, telecommunications, telematics, and third-party payment services.

Prior to joining MoFo, he worked in the Hong Kong office of a Magic Circle firm and the Chicago office of another leading international firm.

Chuan co-authored the Hong Kong & mainland China chapters of Getting the Deal Through – Telecoms and Media, 2014, 2015 & 2016; the Hong Kong & mainland China chapters of Getting the Deal Through: Market Intelligence – Telecoms and Media, 2015; and the Hong Kong chapter of Sourcing World 2nd Edition 2015.

Chuan is fluent in Mandarin and English.

“Chuan Sun has a wealth of knowledge on his clients’ existing products and services offerings and a good understanding of what terms they are or are not willing to accept. This helps tremendously with contract negotiations.”

“Chuan Sun has extensive experience in the technology space. Many other competitor firms in the technology space are not really pure IT lawyers, as they are more focus on privacy and trade marks or other related fields, as opposed to technology contracts such as SAP or Microsoft software license agreements. A normal general commercial lawyer would not be able to identify the same issues or raise the right questions, as they are not equipped with the technology know-how of the products and services, their benefits, and general industry standard terms and trending patterns in the market.” Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020

Representative Experience:

  • CPE, a Chinese alternative investment firm, in connection with its US$350 million joint venture with Restaurant Brands International (RBI), one of the world's largest multinational fast food holding company, to operate Burger King in China which has around 1,250 restaurants in total. This transaction is one of the most significant private equity-led transactions in China’s consumer sector in 2025.
  • OcuMension Therapeutics (HKSE: 01477), a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed ophthalmic pharmaceutical platform in China in its acquisition of substantial assets valued at HK$1.28 billion (approximately US$165 million) from Alcon Inc., a global leader in eye care. The transaction involves asset purchase, global license, transition services and manufacture and supply arrangement and constitutes a very substantial transaction of OcuMension.
  • Ascendent Capital Partners in its US$1.66 billion privatization of Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HOLI), a leading international automation control system solutions provider. This is a rare transaction where a PE fund successfully acquires a US-listed Chinese company without forming a consortium with controlling shareholder or management. It is also the first and only U.S. take-private of a BVI-incorporated company involving a dissenter process. 
  • Leading Global, China-Headquartered Fintech Company. Advise the company in connection with its first provision of blockchain and Real World Asset solutions in the fintech industry to a leading Chinese securities company for the latter’s first launch of structured product tokens, enabling secure, transparent, tamper-proof transactions for fixed-income and principal-protected tokenized products linked to US equity ETFs.
  • Leading Global, China-Headquartered Fintech Company. Advise the company in connection with the international expansion of its various business operations that are based on cutting-edge technologies, including blockchain and crypto, into multiple jurisdictions. 

Rankings

Data Protection: Foreign Firms Lawyer of the Year

Legal 500 China Awards 2025

Leading Partner: China: Data Protection: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026

Recommended: Hong Kong Private Equity

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022

Recommended: Hong Kong TMT

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2017-18

Dealmaker of Asia 2024

Asian Legal Business (ALB)

Managing Partner of the Year: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 China Awards 2024

Ranked: China TMT: Information Technology (International Firms)

Chambers Greater China Region 2022 - 2026

Top 15 Cybersecurity & Data Protection Lawyers

ALB China 2023

Ranked: China TMT: Data Protection & Privacy (International Firms)

Chambers Greater China Region 2024-2026

Ranked: China Intellectual Property (International Firms)

Chambers Greater China Region 2026

Ranked: China TMT: Information Technology (International Firms)

Chambers Asia Pacific 2021

Recommended: China Corporate and M&A: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2026

Recommended: China: Data Protection: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2025

Recommended: China FinTech: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2026

Recommended: China Healthcare and Life Sciences: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2026

Recommended: China Intellectual Property: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2026

Recommended: China Real Estate and Construction: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2024

Leading Partner: China TMT: Foreign Firms

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 – 2026

Recommended: Hong Kong: Corporate (Including M&A)

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018, 2021-2024, 2026

Recommended: Hong Kong Intellectual Property

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2019 & 2021, 2026

Recommended: Hong Kong TMT

Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2017-2019, 2021, 2023-2026

Top 15 TMT Lawyers

ALB China 2020