Fuzhou steps up cultivating high-caliber foreign-related legal talent to support enterprises' global expansion

In recent years, Fuzhou in East China's Fujian province has actively taken part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the development of the core area of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. To meet local enterprises' high-standard demand as they expand overseas, the city has stepped up efforts to build a team of high-caliber legal professionals well versed in international rules and experienced in foreign-related legal practice, injecting strong impetus into the development of the legal system of the Maritime Silk Road.

Under the guidance of the Justice Bureau of Fuzhou, the city's lawyers association has established the Maritime Silk Road Legal Affairs Committee and set up a range of specialized committees covering foreign-related legal services, the marine economy and maritime law, the BRI, and taxation and customs. A citywide communication and exchange mechanism for foreign-related legal talent has also been established, laying a solid institutional foundation for the specialized and sophisticated development of Fuzhou's foreign-related legal services.

Relying on these specialized committees, the Fuzhou Lawyers Association regularly organizes practical exchange events, bringing together lawyers, scholars, in-house legal counsel of enterprises and representatives from regulatory authorities for face-to-face discussions to identify pain points and challenges in foreign-related legal practice. To date, seven legal salons have been held, covering topics such as cross-border investment, international trade disputes, and intellectual property protection, helping facilitate the proper and effective resolution of 10 foreign-related cases.

In terms of talent cultivation, Fuzhou has adopted a two-pronged approach: bringing distinguished experts in and sending outstanding professionals out. On the one hand, the city invites leading scholars and practitioners from home and abroad to share their experience and professional insights. On the other hand, it sends outstanding local lawyers to receive training at prestigious law schools. This two-pronged strategy has significantly accelerated the development of a robust foreign-related legal talent pool.

Since 2023, the Fuzhou Lawyers Association has organized three training sessions for foreign-related legal talent, with 120 lawyers participating. Additionally, the city has recommended 217 lawyers to attend eight provincial-level training sessions co-hosted by the provincial Justice Department and the provincial Lawyers Association.

The city's two-pronged talent cultivation strategy has effectively filled local lawyers' knowledge gaps in frontier areas such as cross-border data compliance and responses to counter-sanctions. A multidisciplinary team of about 300 foreign-related lawyers — with strong political awareness, good foreign-language proficiency, and a solid command of international rules — has taken initial shape.

To build a multi-dimensional foreign-related legal ecosystem, the Fuzhou Lawyers Association has strengthened cooperation with the Fujian Provincial Lawyers Association in specialized committee operations, and promoted coordination with the city's institutions in the transportation, customs, and insurance sectors. The city has also invited senior executives of multinational corporations and heads of legal affairs departments at foreign-related enterprises to participate in joint discussions, creating a synergistic model featuring government guidance, industry support, and enterprise participation.

Through multi-agency collaboration, Fuzhou's foreign-related legal professionals are playing an increasingly important role in supporting local enterprises' global expansion and optimizing the city's business environment. On Dec 31, 2025, the Fuzhou Sub-district of the Maritime Silk Road Legal Services District was officially inaugurated. The Service Center for High-Quality Development of the Legal Profession was also launched at the same site. The center comprises seven specialized sub-centers covering such areas as the incubation of legal service products for emerging industries, legal services for the new economy, BRI-related legal services, overseas Chinese legal affairs, maritime and commercial mediation, and corporate compliance.

Targeting enterprises' emerging needs in areas such as overseas expansion, commercial mediation, and artificial intelligence, the center provides comprehensive legal support across the entire business chain from investment access and compliant establishment to dispute resolution, thereby steadily enhancing the regional influence of Fuzhou’s foreign-related legal services.