CEALS Director Cited in SCMP Article on the new PRC Foreign Relations Law

On July 1, the historic People’s Republic of China Foreign Relations Law (FRL) came into effect. In a detailed article published on July 10, South China Morning Post reporter Shi Jiangtao discusses the FRL and cites Center Director Keith Hand’s analysis of the new law.  The FRL is the latest step in two related efforts:  a general legalization of national security, military, and foreign affairs that began in the mid 2000s and accelerated under current CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping; and a more recent, focused effort to expand China’s domestic legal toolkit for foreign affairs to counter U.S. legal capacity and defend China’s sovereignty and development interests.  It clarifies the functions and powers of state and Party entities involved in foreign affairs, sets out general principles and guiding ideology for foreign relations, summarizes core elements of Chinese foreign policy, confirms the Party’s leadership over foreign affairs work, and authorizes countermeasures when foreign actions encroach on China’s sovereignty or development interests.  For more research and analysis on China’s effort to develop domestic law as a tool of international struggle, see Director Hand’s recent policy report “Waging External Struggle through Law: China’s Evolving Legal Strategies and Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit.”