A member of the firm’s Policy Committee and managing partner of the Beijing office, Ke advises clients across numerous industries in connection with financings for Chinese companies, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate matters.
Ke has been named one of China’s 100 Elite Lawyers by China Business Law Journal for the past four years, and is among the exclusive “Visionaries” category. Prior to entering the legal profession, he earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Peking University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from New York University. Ke led the O’Melveny team for RemeGen’s Hong Kong IPO, which was recognized as Deal of the Year by China Business Law Journal and Megatrend Deal of the Year – Healthcare by FinanceAsia. Ke is highly rated for China capital markets by Chambers Asia Pacific, Chambers Greater China Region and Chambers Global.
Offshore Public Offerings and Capital Markets
Ke regularly advises companies on offshore listings and other capital market financings; his representations amount to an aggregate financing size of over US$20 billion, including:
Life Sciences, Medical and Healthcare:
- Companies: TYK Medicines; Sunho BiologicsRemeGen; Akeso Biopharma; Yonghe Medical; Adlai Nortye (Nasdaq); Beauty Farm; Shanghai Bio-heart; Luzhu Biotech; Cryofocus Medtech; Sipai Health; 3D Medicines; Gaush Meditech; Jenscare Scientific; Rainmed; Gushengtang; Acotec Scientific; Brii Biosciences; Keymed Biosciences; Jacobio Pharmaceuticals; Simcere Pharmaceutical; Honliv Healthcare; Hygeia Healthcare; Peijia Medical; Shanghai Kindly Medical Instruments; Pharmaron; Aesthetic Medical International (Nasdaq); Hua Medicine; ShangPharma (NYSE); Viva Biotech; Shanghai Haohai Biological; 3S Bio (Nasdaq); Phoenix Healthcare, and Distinct Healthcare (on-going); Shanghai Cell Therapy Group (on-going); BenQ BM Holding (on-going)
- Underwriters and Sponsors: Qyuns Therapeutics; Shanghai HeartCare Medical; Wuxi AppTech (NYSE), and Hanyu Medical (was on-going); Bayzed Health Group Inc (on-going)
TMT:
- Companies: Taimei Medical Technology; Qunabox Group Limited; Folangsi; UBOX Online; UP Fintech (Nasdaq); Youku.com Inc. (NYSE); RenRen.com Inc. (NYSE); Yeahka; eHi Car Services (NYSE); Montage (Nasdaq), and Shouhui Group (on-going)
- Underwriters and Sponsors: UP Fintech (Nasdaq, follow-on offering); Shanghai Voicecomm Infotech; Fourth Paradigm; Huafang Group; GDS; 58.com (NYSE); Zhongguancun Science-Tech Leasing; FingerTango; Digital Hollywood; Leju Holdings (NYSE); Jupai Holdings (NYSE); Tarena Technologies (Nasdaq); Zero2IPO; and Chen Lin Education Group
Other:
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Ruichang International; Laopu Gold; Tiantu Capital; Chenghe Acquisition II Co. (NYSE); China CITIC Bank; China Construction Bank Corporation; Dexin China; Bank of Qingdao; Hengxing Gold; China Polymetallic Mining; China Real Estate Information Corporation (Nasdaq); Yuzhou Group; Crystal River Capital (NYSE, underwriters); NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE); Refire Group (on-going); and Hainan Drinda New Energy (on-going)
M&A and Going-Private Transactions:
Ke has advised numerous well-known public companies on mergers and acquisitions and going-private transactions, including:
M&A:
- Acotec Scientific in its approximately US$520 million voluntary partial offer by Boston Scientific
- Viva Biotech in its US$387.3 million acquisition of Langhua Pharmaceutical and US$135.4 million share placement
- TTM technologies (NASDAQ: TTMI), a leading global printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer, on the US$660 million divestiture of its four China manufacturing plants comprising substantially all of the assets of its Mobility business, to AKM Meadville Electronics (Xiamen) Co., Ltd.
- the management consortium in the US$200 million leveraged acquisition of ATA Online (Beijing) Education Technology Co., Ltd. (ATA Online), a wholly owned subsidiary of ATA Inc. (ATAI)
- the Meinian buyer consortium in a competing going private bid against management for Chinese healthcare Company iKang Healthcare Group (NASDAQ: KANG)
- Sinobioway Biomedicine as buyer consortium in a competing going private bid of Sinovac (NasdaqGS: SVA)
- Pudong Science and Technology Investment (PDSTI) in its US$100 million investment in Icon Aircraft, Inc.
- BGI-Shenzhen in its $117 million acquisition of Complete Genomics (NASDAQ: GNOM) through a tender offer (first tender offer acquisition of a US-based public company by a Chinese company)
- Jiangsu Phoenix Education Publishing Co., Ltd. in its US$80 million acquisition of the assets relating to the children's book business of Publication International Ltd. (PIL) and PIL's subsidiaries
- DaimlerChrysler in its US$7.4 billion sale of Chrysler LLC to Cerberus
Going-Private:
- Zhaopin (buyer consortium); Homeinns (company); Bona Film (Goldstone Investment as a member of buyer consortium); Luoxin Pharmaceuticals (buyer consortium); ShangPharma (special committee); Feihe (special committee); China Real Estate Information Corporation (the company); China XD Plastics (the company); SORL (the company), and Highpower (Essence International as part of buyer consortium)
PE/VC Investments:
Ke has advised on numerous private equity and venture capital transactions in the life sciences, medical and healthcare industries as well as other industries, including:
- Distinct Healthcare; Brii Biosciences; Keymed Biosciences; Acotec Scientific; Peijia Medical; Medbanks Network Technology; Ansun Biopharma; Viva Biotech; Aesthetic Medical International; Livzon Pharmaceutical; 3D Medicines, and Zhongmei Healthcare Group
Other Industries:
- a consortium led by Capital Group and Blackstone in the US$600 million pre-IPO investment in Dili Group Holdings
- Och-Ziff Capital Management Group as part of a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland plc. in an investment in Bank of China
Languages
- Mandarin Chinese
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
Education
- Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., 2003
- New York University, Ph.D., Biochemistry, 2001
- Peking University, B.S. (Biology), 1994
Honors & Awards
- Named to the “Visionaries” category of China’s A-List Foreign Lawyers by China Business Law Journal, 2023-2024
- Named to the “A-List” of China’s 100 Elite Foreign Lawyers by China Business Law Journal, 2020-2022
- Recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific and Chambers Greater China Region in the practice area of Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms) - China (2022-2024)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 Greater China (2024) for China, Corporate And M&A: Foreign Firms; China, Life Sciences and Healthcare: Foreign Firms; and China, Private Equity: Foreign Firms
- Recognized by Chambers Global in the practice area of Capital Markets: Equity (China) (2022) and Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms) - China (2023)
- Recognized by IFLR1000 as a “Notable Practitioner” in the practice area of Mergers & Acquisitions (China) (2019-2021)
Professional Activities
Publications
- “Should China Provide Intellectual Property Protection for Genetically Modified Animals?” Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business (Winter 2003)
Speaking Engagements
- Practising Law Institute's "Doing Business in and With China 2021" (December, 2021)