Norton Rose has strengthened its Beijing office with the hire of corporate partner Barbara Li from the local arm of Baker & McKenzie.

Li, who is dual qualified in the UK and China, is an M&A lawyer with particular expertise in mining, energy and infrastructure.

Her hire takes the total number of partners in Norton Rose's Beijing office to eight and comes as part of a push by the firm into Chinese inbound and outbound investment work.

Norton Rose North Asia head, Hong Kong-based Phillip John, said: "Barbara is a perfect fit for us in Beijing. She is a native Mandarin speaker, and has built a strong reputation as a top class corporate lawyer in the mining, infrastructure and energy sectors, which aligns neatly with our own focus.

"Her ability to provide both Chinese law and English law advice also helps us to continue to build the number of dual qualified lawyers we have in Beijing."

Li (pictured) is the second lateral hire for Norton Rose in the Chinese capital in recent months, following the recruitment of banking partner Li Jinnan from King & Wood Mallesons in November.

The firm also recruited Allen & Overy counsel Jing Wang as a corporate partner in Beijing in March. Lang, who is also dual qualified, focuses on the biotech, food and beverages sectors.

Norton Rose currently has 13 offices across Asia Pacific, including bases in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok and Australia.

In an interview with Legal Week in October, John said the firm would continue to boost the number of partners in existing practice areas across its key markets, but had no imminent plans to open additional regional offices.