Shou Xiaoli:

Last question, please. 

Red Star News:

Currently, China is becoming more closely connected with the rest of the world. The number of our citizens and enterprises "going global" continues to grow. What measures will be taken to strengthen the rule of law in foreign-related affairs and safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens and companies overseas? Thank you. 

Wang Zhenjiang:

Thank you for your question. This is an excellent and very important issue. As China opens wider to the world, the number of its citizens and enterprises going global continues to rise, and they are encountering various legal issues and security risks. From this perspective, we must enhance abilities to safeguard their security overseas, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens and legal entities abroad. We will leverage the role of the Office of the Commission for Overall Law-Based Governance of the CPC Central Committee, which has been set up in the MOJ, to coordinate efforts and gradually establish a mechanism integrating legislation, law enforcement, judiciary, legal compliance, legal services and legal talent cultivation in foreign-related affairs. In protecting the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens and companies abroad, we will deliver in the following aspects: 

First, we will improve the system of foreign-related laws and regulations. China currently has over 50 laws that specifically address foreign-related issues and over 150 laws with foreign-related provisions, which have played a crucial role in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens and enterprises overseas. However, there are still gaps and weaknesses in the legal framework governing foreign-related affairs. Next, the MOJ will work with relevant departments to accelerate the formulation and revision of relevant laws and regulations, and ensure that necessary laws are enacted, amended, repealed and interpreted, so as to provide stronger institutional support for safeguarding the overseas rights of our citizens and businesses.

Second, we will provide high-quality and efficient legal services for citizens and enterprises going global. Since last year, we have advanced efforts to establish the first batch of over 150 demonstration institutions for foreign-related legal services, supported Chinese law firms to set up service outlets in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and selected 295 notary institutions to conduct remote video notarization services in collaboration with overseas embassies and consulates, thereby continuing to increase foreign-related legal service abilities. Next, we will accelerate the fostering of a number of world-class arbitration institutions and law firms, build a comprehensive legal service platform for the BRI, and improve mechanisms for verifying foreign laws, effectively protecting the legitimate rights of our citizens and businesses abroad. 

Third, we will deepen international judicial and law-enforcement cooperation. Currently, China has signed bilateral judicial assistance treaties with 88 countries and treaties on the transfer of sentenced persons with 18 countries, and handled over 300 requests for international criminal judicial assistance and over 3,000 requests for civil and commercial judicial assistance each year on average. Next, we will promote the signing of bilateral judicial assistance treaties and treaties on the transfer of sentenced persons with more countries, and further expand the scope of law-enforcement and judicial cooperation. 

Fourth, we will accelerate fostering high-caliber legal talent. We will work with relevant parties to accelerate the construction of foreign-related legal research bases at the national level, strengthen the training of lawyers in foreign-related issues, cultivate a number of high-level legal talent dealing with practical foreign-related issues, and establish a foreign-related arbitration talent pool, striving to provide legal talent support for our citizens and businesses abroad. Thank you. 

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Wang. Thank you to all the speakers and friends from the media. Today's press conference is hereby concluded. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Zhang Rui, Zhu Bochen, Yang Xi, Xu Xiaoxuan, Liu Sitong, Xu Kailin, Yang Chuanli, Liu Jianing, Wang Wei, Ma Yujia, Wang Yanfang, Li Huiru, Zhang Junmian, Wang Qian, Huang Shan, David Ball, Rochelle Beiersdorfer, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.