Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced today that Feng Xue, managing partner of the firm’s Shanghai office, has been appointed chair of the China Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International, a program that promotes Chicago as a global city, develops international partnerships and networks, and shares best practices among city leaders.

“I am honored to serve in this capacity for one of the largest and most active Sister Cities organization in the United States,” Xue said. “I look forward to building on the successful relationships among Chicago, Shanghai, Shenyang and other Chinese cities for the betterment of them all.”

Xue, who heads Katten’s China practice and has been managing partner of the Shanghai office since it opened in 2012, focuses his corporate practice on advising on cross-border transactions, particularly those involving Chinese companies looking to acquire foreign companies or make international investments and representing US companies wanting to invest in China or resolve disputes with Chinese companies.

“Feng is a great fit for this role,” said Mark R. Grossmann, global chair of Katten’s Corporate practice. “It allows our firm to have a hand in addressing common issues facing communities in these cities, celebrating our different cultures and developing the next generation of global leaders.”

Co-author of “Laws of the People’s Republic of China” and “Western Corporate Laws,”Xue helped draft Chinese national legislation while working as a senior legislative officer for the Legislative Affairs Commission and Law Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress. He attended Duke University School of Law and is a frequent public speaker on legal issues affecting foreign investment in China.

Since 1985, Shanghai has been affiliated with Chicago Sister Cities International, a division of World Business Chicago. China is the only country where Chicago has more than one sister city.In addition to Shanghai and Shenyang, Chicago was established as a “gateway city” with six other municipalities in China: Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin and Wuhan. These partnerships fortify Chicago as a gateway for Chinese investment.

The Sister Cities program provides leadership to develop, manage and coordinate comprehensive programs in cultural arts and tourism, global education, government relations, and international business and was strengthened during the 22-year term of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, of counsel at Katten.

Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include commercial finance, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, and trusts and estates. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com.