Guangxi lawyers advance ASEAN-related legal services to bolster regional high-level opening-up

The dynamic growth of foreign trade and economic activities in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China in recent years has catalyzed the demand for specialized and diversified legal services tailored to international needs. Leveraging the region's geographical advantages, Guangxi's legal profession has carved a distinctive niche in providing foreign-related legal services that support the region's pursuit of high-level opening-up.

To date, 12 Guangxi-based law firms have established multiple branches across six Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Over 40 law firms have signed strategic cooperation agreements with more than 20 legal service institutions in ASEAN countries such as Vietnam and Singapore, accelerating the building of a cross-border legal service network that spans the ASEAN region.

Building a regional legal service brand

Guangxi's legal service brand building journey began in 2017, when the region's Weiguan Law Firm made history by opening its office in Hanoi, Vietnam — the first overseas branch of a Guangxi-based firm. This office now operates with a team of more than 10 professionals, including certified Chinese lawyers authorized by Vietnam's Ministry of Justice, along with local Vietnamese legal experts and investment consultants.

Similarly, in 2018, the China Commercial (Liuzhou) Law Firm launched the China-Laos Legal Service Center. The center is dedicated to providing professional, comprehensive, high-quality and efficient legal services to Chinese business communities and enterprises operating in ASEAN countries.

Since then, many Guangxi-based law firms have established overseas branches, liaison offices, or representative offices abroad, further expanding their global presence.

Addressing pain points in cross-border legal services

To enhance the professional capabilities and expertise of Chinese law firms in the ASEAN market, the Guangxi Wanyi Law Firm co-hosted the 2025 ASEAN Legal Alliance Annual Conference in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi. The event brought together over 240 representatives from government agencies, business communities and the legal profession across various countries including China, the United Kingdom, Spain, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Participants explored new pathways for regional legal cooperation and economic development.

Moreover, Guangxi lawyers have developed innovative models to tackle challenges posed by differences in legal systems, cultural barriers in cross-border communication and jurisdictional complexities. By integrating domestic and international resources, they have resolved critical pain points in foreign-related legal services, with numerous exemplary cases handled successfully.

Drawing on the region's geographical position as a gateway to ASEAN, Guangxi's legal profession has made significant strides in cultivating the ASEAN legal service market in fields such as international engineering contracting, cross-border equity transfers and overseas mineral investments. The goal is to establish a foreign-related legal service brand with regional influence and recognition.

Guangxi lawyers are shifting from passive roles — such as contract review and litigation representation — toward proactive functions like risk prevention and legal framework design, offering enterprises comprehensive lifecycle legal support.

Strengthening platform and talent support for industry development

The high-quality development of foreign-related legal services relies on robust legal service platforms.

To this end, a series of platforms have been established, including the Nanning Office of the Belt and Road International Legal Services Alliance, the China-ASEAN Commercial Arbitration Cooperation Center, and public legal service centers in the Nanning, Qinzhou Port, and Chongzuo areas of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone. These initiatives have contributed to Guangxi's building of a multi-tiered, wide-reaching foreign-related legal service network, providing high-quality resources to support the region's legal profession.

During the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, the Justice Department of Guangxi guided the regional lawyers' association in organizing its first foreign-related legal services exhibition targeting ASEAN countries. The event brought together 100 lawyers and 36 legal service institutions, showcasing Guangxi's achievements in delivering foreign-related legal services through an innovative "exhibition + legal services" model.

Talent cultivation also plays a significant role in the high-quality development of Guangxi's foreign-related legal services.

Over the years, the Justice Department of Guangxi has actively explored an integrated talent cultivation model featuring collaboration between lawyers' associations and local universities. It has guided the regional lawyers' association to co-establish training bases for foreign-related lawyers together with Guangxi University, Guangxi Minzu University and Guangxi Normal University, aiming to promote deep integration between theory and practice. The program has achieved remarkable success, with specialized foreign-related lawyer training sessions and talent boot camps held for 570 local lawyers.

Additionally, partnerships between local law firms and universities have led to the establishment of 85 practical education bases and talent cultivation bases across the region, ensuring a steady pipeline of professionals for the foreign-related legal service sector.

In 2025, the Justice Department of Guangxi held the first joint Sino-Vietnamese lawyer training session, focusing on legal risks in cross-border infrastructure projects. This established a significant platform for practical exchanges and collaboration between Chinese and Vietnamese lawyers.

In recent years, Guangxi has also actively sent legal professionals to participate in national and regional foreign-related training programs, ensuring the continued development of expertise in the foreign-related legal service sector.

As Guangxi's legal profession stands at the frontier of regional development, it will continue to leverage regional geographical advantages to deepen collaboration with ASEAN legal service institutions. By further enhancing the professional and international standards of foreign-related legal services, Guangxi lawyers aim to play an integral role in providing top-tier legal support for the region's high-level opening-up and contribute to building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.