Shandong integrates foreign-related rule of law to power export-oriented growth of specialty industry

Haiyang, a county-level city under Yantai in East China's Shandong province, has responded to the growing legal needs of its export-oriented industries by developing an innovative, full-chain, and multidimensional working system featuring mechanism and platform support as well as accessible services. This framework closely links the city's foreign-related rule of law development with the local sweater manufacturing chain, ensuring that legal support is practical, targeted, and closely aligned with industrial needs.

A coordinated multidimensional mechanism for stronger legal safeguards in overseas expansion

Haiyang has built a coordinated legal support system that integrates resource aggregation, risk prevention and control, and service delivery, shifting from reactive crisis response to proactive risk prevention for enterprises seeking to go global.

Institutional design and systematic planning have been reinforced, with the city pioneering the establishment of an integrated working framework covering law enforcement coordination, judicial collaboration, service refinement, policy support, legal publicity and education, and talent cultivation. This enables systematic planning and closed-loop management of foreign-related legal work. An effective mechanism ensures that foreign-related legal services are embedded in every stage of the industrial export process, closely aligning legal support with the development trajectory of the sweater industry.

Inter-agency collaboration and demand-oriented research have also been enhanced. Haiyang has established a joint meeting system for foreign-related legal work, bringing together courts, procuratorates, market regulators, and other relevant bodies. Regular consultation, information sharing, and coordinated action mechanisms are now institutionalized, effectively breaking down departmental barriers and ending fragmented service delivery.

Adopting a demand-oriented approach, the city has conducted in-depth online surveys of foreign-related legal service needs, covering nine law firms, 11 legal service offices, and 100 foreign-related enterprises. On-site visits to key enterprises have further helped identify pain points in cross-border trade, intellectual property (IP), and compliance operations, supported by a dynamic register of business needs and available services.

Haiyang has also pioneered a joint training model involving the government, enterprises, and service providers, creating a direct dialogue channel among all stakeholders. During special publicity sessions on overseas expansion support, experienced lawyers have delivered lectures on practical issues such as international trade terms, exchange rate risks, and export tax rebate compliance, along with case-based explanations of international conventions including the Hague Rules.

Targeted seminars after the training sessions have fostered a coordinated problem-solving mechanism, ensuring that business feedback translates into practical service improvements.

Diversified online-offline platforms for a smart, accessible legal service matrix

The city has developed a legal service platform matrix that combines physical and virtual resources and integrates inclusive, intelligent services, making legal services both convenient and efficient.

Physical service hubs and frontline outreach points have been set up across Haiyang. Dedicated foreign-related legal service counters now operate within the city's public legal service center and government-affiliated notary offices, offering single-window integrated processing.

In key industrial zones, including the economic development zone, multiple liaison offices have been established. Under an on-demand service model, businesses can request on-site support for legal compliance assessment and dispute mediation.

Cloud-based platforms and digital services have been strengthened as well. A dedicated portal for foreign-related legal services has been launched on Haiyang's smart public legal service platform, integrating functions such as foreign law ascertainment, early warning on global trade disputes, and IP protection.

Connected to legal databases covering more than 190 countries and regions, the platform provides round-the-clock online consultation and document generation services. Through collaboration between professional teams and intelligent systems, a full-process service chain has been formed, covering foreign law ascertainment, compliance assessment, risk alerts, and practical recommendations.

Targeted measures to improve quality and efficiency in global expansion

To address core bottlenecks in the sweater industry's transformation, Haiyang has adopted targeted measures to move the industry toward higher value-added segments of the global value chain.

IP protection has been intensified to secure enterprises' overseas operations. In response to common risks such as trademark squatting and patent infringement, the city has advanced its grid-based, accessible public IP service system. IP service stations and dedicated outlets have been set up to offer routine consulting on trademark and patent matters. The city has also organized regular meetings on IP risk early warning to provide support from IP filing to dispute resolution.

Cross-border e-commerce opportunities have also been leveraged for industrial expansion. Keeping pace with new trade trends, the city has prioritized support for the sweater industry in reaching global markets through cross-border e-commerce channels. Thematic discussions have been organized to study targeted supporting policies, alongside ongoing routine legal training sessions.

In addition, Haiyang has devoted much effort to cultivating rule-of-law culture to foster sound compliance development. The city has set up an outdoor foreign-related rule-of-law cultural site integrating landscape, practical functions and education at the Xiaohai'erkou National Urban Wetland Park, where bilingual Chinese-English display boards popularize knowledge on international economic and trade rules and risk prevention. 

Meanwhile, a special foreign-related legal publicity team has been formed to conduct regular outreach activities inside local enterprises.