Jones Day has hired the former co-chair of Dorsey & Whitney's Asia Practice Group. Corporate partner Alex Zhang joins Jones Day's Shanghai office as coordinator for China investments.

Beijing-born Zhang has experience in cross-border corporate and commercial transactions in Greater China, acting for a range of US and European multinational corporations, investment banks and private equity funds, as well as major Chinese corporations such as Everbright, China Resources and Sino-Chem.

Winston Zhao, partner-in-charge of the Jones Day Shanghai office, said: "Alex Zhang brings an insider's advantage that comes in the form of knowing the legal terrain in Asia and Greater China and providing years of international legal service counsel in both Asia and the US."

Zhang started his career at Dorsey in 1989 and became a partner in 1994. He later became managing partner of the firm's Hong Kong and Shanghai offices, as well as head of its Greater China Practice Group. Zhang has also served as a trade representative for the State of Minnesota in Hong Kong, where he promoted US business interests in Asia.

In a separate development, Jones Day's Hong Kong partner-in-charge Barbara Mok has led a team advising Interbrew S.A. on its US$53.2m acquisition of a 70% controlling interest in Zhejiang Shiliang Brewery Company Ltd.

The transaction strengthens Interbrew's position as the number one brewer in Zhejiang Province where, pursuant to this transaction, the company will have a market share of close to 50%. The transaction is expected to close in the next few months, with ING acting as financial advisers to Interbrew.

Interbrew is the second largest brewer in China and with this new acquisition, the company will have a production capacity of 30m hectolitres, a market share of over 10% and 17 breweries in China.

Earlier in the year, Jones Day advised Interbrew on its US$131m acquisition of a controlling stake in Lion Group's brewery investments in China.