Xi Jinping says China has a legal problem: finding the lawyers to defend its interests abroad

President has raised concerns about a lack of legal talent, calling it ‘a security risk’ in a speech two years ago that was recently made public

Observers say there is a growing awareness among the leadership that Beijing is at a disadvantage in international disputes

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Chinese structures and an airstrip are seen on Subi Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Beijing refused to accept a 2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected its territorial claims. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00am, 1 Mar 2021Updated: 11:49am, 1 Mar 2021

This is the first in a series by the SCMP looking at how China’s legal system has changed over the decades and some of the challenges it faces today. Here, Jun Mai looks at how Beijing struggles to make its case on the international stage.

With China and its companies facing an increasing number of bruising overseas legal battles, defending the country’s interests abroad has become a pressing issue for the ruling Communist Party.

President Xi Jinping raised concerns two years ago in a speech that was only made public in December, saying China lacked the legal professionals needed to protect its growing interests, which he said posed a security threat.

“A large amount of foreign-related affairs of Chinese companies are in the hands of European and US-based law firms, and there’s a very big security risk in this,” Xi told the country’s top law enforcement body in February 2019.

“The relevant departments must come up with a solution and resolve to tackle the problem,” Xi said in the speech, which was published in an official collection of Xi’s remarks on “comprehensively ruling the country by law”.

Observers said it reflected a growing awareness among the Beijing leadership that it is at a disadvantage on international legal matters. Those cases range from the 2016 tribunal ruling on the South China Sea to social media company TikTok’s legal wrangle in the United States.

SCMP Series

How China’s legal system has changed

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