With the positive response and support of colleagues and friends from the legal profession of various countries and regions, the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association (hereinafter referred to as BRILA) was officially founded in Guangzhou, China on December 8, 2019. The purpose of BRILA is to promote the exchanges and cooperation between lawyers, law firms and legal institutions in the BRI countries and regions, accelerate the development of foreign-related legal services, and provide high-quality, efficient and accessible legal services for the building of the Belt and Road Initiative, bringing more tangible benefits to the people of all countries.

With the deepening of China's reform and opening up and the gradual improvement of the rule of law, more and more Chinese enterprises have entered the international market, and meantime, increasing foreign investors have noticed the huge business opportunities in the Chinese market. The increasing economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges will create more demand for legal services. The BRILA should not only help the Chinese enterprises to go global legally, but also maintain a fine business and investment environment conducive to fair competition, so as to assist foreign investors to better adapt to China's legal and business environment and contribute to the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will finally promote the flow of talents, capital and services across the world, and continuously bring new driving forces and growth points to the initiative.

To promote BRI legal services, BRILA will establish an extensive member network, gradually improve the setting of working institutions, and carefully scheme and hold professional activities and conferences to provide support for BRI construction. On the basis of regular communication mechanisms such as the general assembly and the council meeting, BRILA will establish an internal communication network to facilitate information exchange and business cooperation among lawyers, law firms and legal institutions in BRI countries and regions and improve the quality and efficiency of cross-regional legal services. BRILA will utilize training, seminars and other activities to enhance mutual understanding among members, promote exchanges and cooperation among legal practitioners from different jurisdictions, and develop the rule of law in the global legal profession through mutual-learning.

I sincerely hope that the BRILA, as an international exchange platform for legal services, can embark on the fast lane of healthy development with the care and support of all parties, provide high-quality and efficient services and strong professional support for the steady development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and play an important role in building a community with a shared future for mankind and a better world based on the rule of law.