Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 28. The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee conducted its 10th collective study session on strengthening foreign-related legal system building on the afternoon of November 27. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized while presiding over the session that enhancing foreign-related rule of law is both a long-term necessity for advancing the building of a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, and an urgent task for promoting high-standard opening up and addressing external risks and challenges. It is essential to deeply recognize the importance and urgency of improving foreign-related legal work from the perspective of better coordinating domestic and international imperatives as well as development and security. Efforts should be made to establish a foreign-related legal system and capabilities aligned with the demands of high-quality development and high-standard opening up, so as to create favorable legal conditions and external environment for the steady and sustained advancement of Chinese modernization.

Comrade Huang Huikang, a specially appointed professor at Wuhan University, gave a lecture on this issue and put forward work suggestions. Comrades of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee listened carefully to the lecture and held discussions.

President Xi Jinping made an important speech after listening to the presentations and discussions. He noted that the law serves as the criterion for social conduct and national governance. Foreign-related legal systems are a key part of the country's legal framework, the basis for foreign-related rule of law, and play an important role in reinforcing foundations, stabilizing expectations, and delivering long-term benefits. On the new journey of building China into a stronger country and national rejuvenation, we must uphold the correct political direction, and with a stronger sense of historical responsibility and creativity, accelerate the advancement of China's foreign-related legal system and capacity.

Xi Jinping stressed that foreign-related legal affairs, as an important part of the socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, bear on the law-based governance of China in all respects and the overall interests of the country's opening up and diplomatic work. The fundamental purpose of advancing foreign-related legal affairs is to better safeguard national and people's interests through the rule of law, promote the progress of international rule of law, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. We must unswervingly follow the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.

Xi Jinping pointed out that foreign-related legal work is a systematic project with broad scope and strong interconnectedness, requiring coordination between domestic and international aspects, as well as between development and security. It is essential to adopt forward-thinking, holistic planning, strategic arrangements, and integrated advancement, strengthen top-level design, and promote foreign-related legislation, law enforcement, judiciary, compliance, and legal services in a unified manner to form a comprehensive collaborative framework for foreign-related legal work. Efforts should be made to prioritize legislation, advance the formulation, revision, abolition, and interpretation of laws simultaneously, and establish a sound system of foreign-related laws and regulations. A coordinated and efficient enforcement system for foreign-related legal work should be developed to enhance the effectiveness of foreign-related law enforcement and judiciary, advance reforms in the mechanisms of foreign-related judicial adjudication, and improve the credibility of foreign-related judiciary. Active steps should be taken to develop foreign-related legal services and foster a group of world-class arbitration institutions and law firms. International cooperation in law enforcement and judiciary should be deepened, consular protection and assistance strengthened, and the legal-security chain for protecting China’s overseas interests reinforced. Compliance awareness should be heightened to guide Chinese citizens and enterprises in observing local laws, regulations, and customs when “going global,” and to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests by leveraging legal and regulatory tools.

Xi Jinping stressed the need to firmly uphold the international order based on international law, actively participate in the formulation of international rules, and promote the rule of law in international relations. We should actively engage in the reform and development of the global governance system, promote global governance in a more just and equitable direction, advance global good governance through sound international law, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the rule of law goes hand in hand with opening up. As opening up progresses, the development of foreign-related legal systems must keep pace. We should promote high-standard opening up on the basis of the rule of law and advance the development of foreign-related legal systems in the process of expanding openness, continuously consolidating the legal foundation for high-standard opening up. The rule of law provides the best business environment. We should improve a transparent foreign-related legal system, strengthen intellectual property protection, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-funded enterprises, make good use of both domestic and international rules, and foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized. We should proactively align with and actively adopt high-standard international economic and trade rules, steadily expand institutional opening up, enhance the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and build a new system for a more open economy. We should benchmark against the world’s highest levels, promptly elevate effective measures and mature experiences of high-standard opening up, such as those in pilot free trade zones, into laws, and create new frontiers of opening up with higher levels, better business environments, and stronger radiating effects. We should comprehensively enhance the capacity to safeguard open security in accordance with the law. Measures and relevant laws and regulations to facilitate the lives of foreigners in China should be improved.

Xi Jinping stressed the need to strengthen professional talent cultivation and team building. We should uphold the principle of fostering virtue through education and integrating legal education with moral education, strengthen discipline development, improve legal education, and refine a practice-oriented training mechanism, so as to cultivate a group of foreign-related legal professionals with firm political stance, strong professional competence, familiarity with international rules, and expertise in foreign-related legal practice at an early date. We should improve the mechanisms for talent introduction, selection, utilization, and management, and cultivate and reserve high-end foreign-related legal talents. Efforts should be made to enhance the legal capacity of foreign-related cadres and build a high-quality, professional foreign-related legal workforce. Leading officials at all levels should take the lead in respecting, learning, abiding by, and applying the law, and effectively improve their foreign-related legal thinking and ability to handle affairs in accordance with the law.

Xi Jinping pointed out that we should have firm confidence in the rule of law, actively explain the concepts, propositions and successful practices of foreign-related rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and tell China's rule of law stories well in the new era. We should strengthen research on cutting-edge topics in foreign-related rule of law theory and practice, build a foreign-related rule of law theory and discourse system with Chinese characteristics that integrates Chinese and foreign elements, and demonstrate China's image as a major country with rule of law and civilization. The Chinese legal system has a long history, and China's excellent traditional legal culture contains rich rule of law ideas and profound political wisdom, which is a treasure of Chinese culture. We should actively promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional legal culture, endow the Chinese rule of law civilization with new connotations of the times, and stimulate its vigorous vitality.