China’s Shaanxi launches international legal affairs office for belt and road

Province debuts agency aimed at developing global legal services as Chinese trade and infrastructure strategy enters second decade

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The office is headquartered in Xian, one of China’s ancient capital cities and a terminus of the Silk Road. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:00pm, 16 Aug 2024

China’s northwestern province of Shaanxi has launched the country’s first provincial-level office on international legal affairs, with a focus on issues related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

The office opened last week in the provincial capital Xian – a city that was once the start of the ancient Silk Road and today is a focal point for belt and road trade and investment.

Shaanxi Daily reported on Wednesday that it will oversee the development of a demonstration zone for international business law services catering to the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s global infrastructure strategy that has now entered its second decade.

It will also train legal professionals in overseas-related matters, research legal theory and offer legal services with an international focus, it said.

The report said that “foreign-related rule of law” is crucial to the “broader context of China’s opening up and diplomatic work”.

Foreign-related rule of law refers to an initiative launched in 2020 aimed at connecting Chinese law with foreign and international law as Beijing’s global ambitions grow and competition with the West intensifies.

Shaanxi’s justice department has introduced several recent initiatives to improve the province’s legal system, including a research centre for legal issues involving China and Central Asia and new guidelines for legal services dealing with foreign matters, according to the report.