Dennis Wu

DENNIS WU focuses his practice on international commercial arbitration with an emphasis on disputes with an Asian nexus. He has advised clients in a wide variety of matters (including private equity, M&A, pharmaceutical, construction, and technology) and has acted in ad hoc and institutional proceedings conducted under ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, LCIA, and UNCITRAL arbitration rules. He also has experience in litigation matters, including general commercial litigation, insolvency and restructuring, and arbitration-related court proceedings.

Dennis graduated with Bachelor of Social Sciences and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Hong Kong. He is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese.

His significant experience includes*:

• Represented Sino-Ocean Group Holding Limited on the successful restructuring of its approximately US$6 billion offshore debt. This landmark project is the first-ever “Cram across” in which Hong Kong-governed debt was used to cram down English law-governed debt through a twin Part 26A Restructuring Plan and Hong Kong scheme of arrangement, and the first time that a Chinese real estate company has used an English Restructuring Plan. The deal has won the “Pioneering Spirit Award” at the 2025 Global Restructuring Review Awards.
• Represented Sunac China Holdings Limited (Sunac) in the restructuring of its US$10.2 billion offshore debt. It is the largest offshore restructuring transaction completed by a Chinese property group and it achieved both the highest supporting rate and the highest deleveraging ratio of recent offshore schemes in this sector. The deal was recognized as the “Restructuring Deal of the Year” by IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards 2024. The deal also won the “Asia-Pacific Restructuring” award at International Financing Review’s IFR Awards 2023 and the “Turnaround Deal” award at the IFR Asia Awards 2023.
• Representing a Taiwanese conglomerate in a US$1.1 billion HKIAC arbitration against a Japanese trading house. The parties’ dispute arose out of a series of sale and purchase agreements, which required the transfer of (i) certain shares in a Cayman corporation from the Japanese party to our client and (ii) shares in a real estate project from our client to the Japanese party. 
• Representing a major pharmaceutical company in an SIAC arbitration concerning disputes arising from the purchase of a portfolio of generic drugs.
• Representing a U.S.-based global investment company in an approximately US$50 million HKIAC arbitration arising from its private equity investment in the P.R.C.
• Representing a P.R.C real estate developer and its related Singapore SPV in an approximately US$100 million HKIAC arbitration concerning a Sino-foreign joint venture dispute with its U.S. private equity fund partner.
• Defending the subsidiaries and affiliates of a group headquartered in the Netherlands in the family education entertainment industry against a group of companies with a parent company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in an ICC arbitration seated in Hong Kong, in relation to the termination of a joint venture.
• Representing an Asian electronic manufacturing company in a New York-seated ICC arbitration commenced by a U.S.-based purchaser with respect to warranty breaches under various supply and engineering agreements; New York law governs.
• Acting for a Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate in an approximately US$50 million London-seated LCIA arbitration governed by English law in relation to a pharmaceutical distribution and licensing agreement.
• Representing subsidiaries of a Hong Kong-listed company in opposing a winding-up petition before the Hong Kong High Court and coordinating defense strategy in respect of a winding-up petition of the Hong Kong-listed parent company before the Cayman Islands Court.
• Representing a listed company in opposing a winding-up petition before the Hong Kong High Court on account that the underlying dispute is subject to arbitration.
• Representing a listed company subject to a winding-up petition in obtaining a stay of arbitration proceedings against it pursuant to section 181 of the Companies (Winding-Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance.
• Advising an electronics and information technology multinational in an approximately US$1 billion ICC arbitration in Tokyo against a U.S. multinational technology company concerning the calculation of patent royalties.
• Representing a global private equity fund in a third-party intervention application before the Hong Kong High Court to amend/discharge an interim injunction in support of an arbitration commenced by a Chinese investor against the founder in respect of ownership over the fund, whose portfolio companies were valued at over US$800 million. The application before the Hong Kong High Court was one of several contentious proceedings between the parties across multiple jurisdictions.
• Advising an engineering conglomerate in an HKIAC arbitration and subsequent mediation at the SIMC in relation to disputes with a subcontractor arising from allocation of responsibility for delays in respect of a pipeline pre-commissioning project in Southeast Asia.

*Includes matters completed prior to joining Sidley.