James M. Zimmerman Partner

James Zimmerman is a partner in the Beijing office of Perkins Coie LLP and counsels foreign companies on corporate, transactional, regulatory, litigation, and white collar criminal defense matters in China. Jim is the author of the ABA's China Law Deskbook, now in its fourth edition, which is a go-to legal reference for companies conducting business in China. He was elected to four terms as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce China, and is an active member in the foreign business community in Beijing. He is frequently featured as a political commentator on US-China relations in various print and television media.

Jim is the author of The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China (worldwide release date of April 4, 2023). See www.ThePekingExpress.com

Jim has been practicing law for 34 years and has lived and worked in China since 1998. He has developed special knowledge in assisting individuals detained and prosecuted under China's broad and ambiguous national security and state secrecy laws and regulations, including a number of high-profile and politically sensitive cases. Jim also has special expertise representing foreign media—including print, broadcast, and social media—with the challenges they face with security issues, press freedoms, and general operational issues in China.

He has amassed experience in a range of industries including media, hospitality, automotive, aviation, medical devices, pharmaceutical, petroleum, and financial services. Jim helps clients overcome the complexities of doing business in China's market and guides clients in navigating domestic regulatory regimes; securing approvals from the government; and enlisting the support of government authorities for modifications and enhancements to prevailing legal processes, standards, and measures.

Long recognized as one of China's leading business lawyers, Jim has been acknowledged in such publications as the Asialaw Leading Lawyers Survey, in the areas of Chinese law, dispute resolution, and general corporate law. He also has been listed in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific: The Guide to Asia's Commercial Law Firms in the area of corporate/M&A for foreign law firms in China. Jim is an in-demand presenter, media commentator, and author on issues related to U.S.-China relations and the operational environment for foreign companies conducting business in China, and his OpEd articles have been published in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the South China Morning Post, and the China Daily.