Guizhou coordinates foreign-related legal projects to support citizens and enterprises going global

To advance Belt and Road cooperation and the development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, and to achieve its goal of becoming a new inland hub for an open economy, Guizhou province has coordinated three major foreign-related legal projects: enhanced foreign-related notary services, robust legal support from foreign-related lawyers, and the cultivation of foreign-related legal professionals.

Guizhou has established a comprehensive foreign-related legal service system covering livelihood guarantees, enterprise development, and talent reserves, providing robust legal safeguards for the province's citizens going abroad and businesses expanding overseas.

Faster and more efficient notary services

To address the challenges of difficult, lengthy, and cumbersome notarization processes faced by citizens and enterprises when going abroad, the Justice Department of Guizhou Province has created a province-wide, accessible and efficient foreign-related notary service system. The province now has 16 institutions qualified for foreign-related notary services, staffed by 70 professional foreign-related notaries.

To resolve the high costs and inconvenience for overseas citizens who need to return to China for notarization, the province has designated six notary offices to offer overseas remote video notary services. These services cater to various needs, including academic credentials, kinship certificates, and power-of-attorney documents for Guizhou citizens living abroad.

In addition, all foreign-related notary institutions in Guizhou have fully launched integrated "notarization plus authentication" services, handling over 10,000 foreign-related notarization cases annually. These services comprehensively cover scenarios such as studying abroad, immigration, overseas employment, self-driving trips abroad, and enterprises' overseas investment, international trade, and commercial contracts, providing robust legal safeguards for citizens and enterprises to go global with ease and confidence.

Law firms go global

As Guizhou accelerates its efforts to open up, an increasing number of local enterprises are venturing overseas. To meet their growing demands for foreign-related legal services, the Guizhou Provincial Lawyers Association established the Foreign-Related Legal Services Committee in January 2022 to coordinate the development of the province’s foreign-related lawyers and their business capabilities.

Since 2024, Guizhou's legal profession has achieved a significant milestone by establishing its first independent legal entity abroad. The province currently has a talent pool of 188 foreign-related legal professionals. In April of this year, the Guizhou Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Provincial Lawyers Association jointly launched a special campaign to safeguard local enterprises going global. Ten outstanding foreign-related law firms were paired one-on-one with 10 private enterprises operating overseas to offer targeted legal support.

Furthermore, the Provincial Lawyers Association has sent delegations to international events such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference 2025 in Singapore and the 2025 International Legal Practice Conference – Cooperating with ASEAN. The association has also established regular cooperation mechanisms with the Law Society of Singapore and the Asia Pacific Law Association, creating broad platforms for Guizhou lawyers to expand their global presence.

University-industry collaboration to cultivate professionals

To address the shortage of foreign-related legal talent, Guizhou has adopted a two-pronged approach combining university education with practical training, forming an integrated system for cultivating foreign-related legal professionals at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels.

Guizhou University, through its collaborative innovation base for cultivating foreign-related talent, has launched the Foreign-Related Legal Talent Experimental Classes with renowned scholars and dozens of practical experts from courts, procuratorates, enterprises and law firms as mentors, achieving in-depth integration of theoretical learning and practices.

In terms of international exchanges and practical training, Guizhou University has established regular exchange mechanisms with institutions such as the Royal Academy of Cambodia and Malaysia's SEGi University. It has organized students to participate in state-level foreign-related legal competitions such as the first United Nations International Court of Justice Moot in 2025 and the CIETAC Cup International Commercial Arbitration Moot, improving students' practical skills through competitions.

Moreover, the Guizhou Provincial Lawyers Association has organized foreign-related legal talent training programs at East China University of Political Science and Law and Southwest University of Political Science and Law for two consecutive years, training over 200 core practitioners.

Furthermore, the Law School of Guizhou University has also organized events such as practical seminars on ASEAN-related investment and legal services and forums on foreign-related legal services. These initiatives have helped foster platforms for professional exchanges and mutual learning and expertise showcasing, creating a virtuous cycle between talent cultivation and industry development.