Guangxi ramps up efforts to advance foreign-related rule of law

As China's frontier and window for opening-up and cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China has taken foreign-related rule of law development as a key focus. By building a robust policy support system, creating platforms for mutual recognition of rules, and innovating cross-border coordination mechanisms, Guangxi has gradually established a comprehensive collaborative model integrating policy support, rule alignment, practice coordination and digital empowerment to promote foreign-related law-based governance. The region's pioneering efforts in exploring local practice offer a valuable example for the foreign-related rule of law development nationwide.

Top-level planning: Robust policy support facilitates 'soft' connectivity in law-based governance

At the beginning of 2024, the Office of the Commission for Overall Law-based Governance of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Committee held a symposium to coordinate efforts for promoting foreign-related law-based governance. In April of the same year, a regional meeting was held to explore a foreign-related legal mechanism integrating legislation, law enforcement, administration of justice, public legal compliance, legal services, and the cultivation of legal talent, laying a foundation for building a collaborative framework for Guangxi's development of foreign-related law-based governance.

Guangxi has successively promoted the formulation of several key documents, including the Guidelines on Providing Foreign-Related Judicial Services and Safeguards for Guangxi's High-Level Opening-Up, the Guidelines on Building a Linked Mechanism for Resolving Foreign-Related Commercial Disputes in Guangxi, and the Three-Year Action Plan (2024–26) for Innovating the Development of Guangxi's Foreign-Related Legal Services for ASEAN.

Notably, the release of the List of Key Priorities for Accelerating Guangxi's Foreign-Related Law-based Governance clarified the work responsibilities of 24 units and Party committees of 14 prefecture-level cities in advancing foreign-related legal services.

In recent years, Guangxi has issued 13 sets of local regulations involving foreign affairs, and pioneered 214 institutional innovations at the regional level, 76 of which are national firsts.

Rule alignment: Building a bridge between China and ASEAN‌ for mutual legal recognition

In recent years, leveraging platforms such as the ‌China-ASEAN Expo‌ and the ‌China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit‌, Guangxi has advanced mutual recognition of rules by hosting significant events including the ‌China-ASEAN Justice Forum‌ and the ‌China-ASEAN Commercial Law Forum‌.

The region has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the justice departments of four Vietnamese border provinces — Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, and Lang Son. This partnership led to their joint involvement in a working committee, where they have built consensus on friendly cooperation in legal affairs and law-based governance.

Since 2024, the Nanning International Arbitration Court (NIAC) has signed cooperation agreements with legal institutions in ASEAN countries to facilitate cross-border arbitration award recognition, handling 35 cases involving member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with a total amount in dispute exceeding 500 million yuan ($70.2 million).

Cross-border collaboration: Innovating the 'dispute resolution chain'

Following the completion of negotiations on the upgrade of the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, regional economic and trade cooperation has deepened, leading to a rise in foreign-related commercial disputes. In 2024 alone, the NIAC accepted 534 cases, including 67 foreign-related civil and commercial cases, representing year-on-year increases of 22 percent and 36.73 percent, respectively.

Guangxi has pioneered the establishment of a cross-border dispute resolution chain through collaborative efforts. Following the launch of the Guangxi International Civil and Commercial Mediation Center, which operates under the supervision of the region's judicial administrative authority, foreign-related mediation services in Guangxi have become increasingly standardized. To date, the center has handled 1,188 cases involving parties from countries including Australia, the United States, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand.