Hainan issues guidelines on FTP foreign-related legal publicity

The Office of the Commission for Overall Law-based Governance of the Communist Party of China Hainan Provincial Committee recently issued guidelines on foreign-related legal publicity for the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Designed as a systematic guide for such publicity, the document aims to foster a sound rule-of-law environment for the high-standard development of the Hainan FTP.

Centered on the overall development of the Hainan FTP, the document addresses foreign-related legal demands in key sectors, industries, and groups. It sets requirements in seven areas, including applicable targets, publicity content, and the law popularization accountability system, to continuously enhance the professionalism and standardization of foreign-related legal publicity across the province.

According to the document, the publicity targets include outbound Chinese citizens, foreign nationals residing in Hainan, overseas Chinese and residents of the country's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions as well as Taiwan region who come to Hainan, foreign-invested enterprises, enterprises invested by people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, local export-oriented enterprises, and staff of foreign-related social organizations based in Hainan. Publicity content focuses on national foreign-related laws and regulations and on local regulations and policies for the Hainan FTP.

The document advocates integrating legal publicity into all stages and aspects of foreign-related legislation, law enforcement, administration of justice, and legal services. It also assigns specific responsibilities for foreign-related legal publicity and establishes a collaborative, multi-department framework guided by the principles of "whoever enforces the law shall popularize it; whoever exercises administration shall popularize the law; and whoever provides services shall popularize the law."

In terms of publicity channels, the document requires the establishment of legal service zones for major international events such as the Boao Forum for Asia, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the Hainan Free Trade Port Legal Week. It calls for building offline immersive legal education venues in industrial parks, scenic spots, and foreign-oriented business districts.

Furthermore, new media tools such as short videos, AI-powered digital presenters, and multilingual infographics should be employed, along with localized intellectual property for legal publicity, to produce rule-of-law cultural works that reflect Hainan's unique characteristics and appeal to international audiences.

The document seeks to address unclear responsibilities, untargeted initiatives, ineffective mechanisms, and a lack of professional expertise in Hainan's foreign-related legal publicity. By establishing a responsibility-based, targeted outreach model for foreign audiences, it aims to develop a foreign-related legal publicity brand that reflects the distinctive features of the Hainan FTP.