The rule of law serves as a crucial guarantee for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" Initiative(BRI), where legal services are in great demand. In September 2023, BRILA made its debut at the Special Exhibition of the China International Fair for Trade in Services(CIFTIS) on legal services.

Group photo of BRILA Secretariat with delegates of representative offices on the scene

  During the exhibition, BRILA’s booth has attracted considerable attention from both legal service providers and demanders. Representatives of law firms, lawyers, multinational trading enterprises, and business associations from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Russia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Slovakia, and other countries and regions came to consult on hot legal issues and challenges in the construction of the BRI, and learn more about BRILA in terms of what it is for, what it has done, and what it can deliver. They expressed the hope to leverage the resources and advantages of BRILA as an international professional platform to strengthen communication and exchanges, improve professional capabilities, and cooperate on legal services. Some corporate representatives sought advice on specific legal issues encountered in international trade, which were solved by BRILA’s member lawyers in a timely and effective way on the scene.

  During the communication, the visitors came to know that, BRILA has encouraged its members to proactively serve the BRI. With their in-depth knowledge of legal issues and challenges, member lawyers have provided high-standard legal services for China-Europe railway cooperation and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Thailand Railway, mergers and acquisitions in hydroelectric power stations in Georgia and other projects, which contributes to the high-quality development of the economy and the regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

  It was agreed that as China continues to expand its high-level opening-up to the world, an increasing number of enterprises are seizing historical opportunities in the global service trade development. They are venturing abroad to engage in economic and trade cooperation. Due to the lack of understanding of foreign legal systems, however, enterprises are in urgent need of professional international legal services. The establishment of BRILA provides a great platform for these enterprises, whether they are "going global" or "coming in," to seek precise and specialized legal services, which is beneficial to strengthening exchanges and cooperation in the field of legal services among the BRI countries and regions. It also contributes to the development of a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment while elevating the level of legal services to support high-quality economic development.

  BRILA’s debut at the CIFTIS attracted attention and coverage from various media outlets, including People's Daily Online, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, Legal Daily, Beijing Daily, and Beijing Youth Daily, which effectively enhanced international influence and attractiveness of BRILA. In the next step, BRILA will continue to explore, innovate, improve organizational mechanisms and operational methods as well as further serve as a platform, promote exchanges and cooperation among lawyers and legal organizations from the BRI countries and regions, and provide high-quality and efficient legal services to support the high-quality development of the BRI.

The Belt and Road International Lawyers Association (BRILA) is a non-governmental, non-profit international professional organization voluntarily formed by lawyers' associations, legal institutions and individual lawyers from various countries and regions. Initiated by All China Lawyers Association (ACLA) in response to the BRI, BRILA is registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China. BRILA is committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation among lawyers and lawyers organizations in BRI countries and regions, contributing to the development of foreign-related legal service, and providing high-quality and effective support for legal services for the BRI. The establishment of BRILA has created a new platform for lawyers to contribute to the BRI, marking a new phase in international exchanges and cooperation for Chinese lawyers. BRILA has currently grown from its initial 85 founding members from 36 countries and regions to more than 2,670 group and individual members from 54 countries and regions, among which over 430 are group members. To better serve the construction of BRI, BRILA has established nine professional committees focusing on areas such as finance, cross-border dispute resolution, and intellectual property. BRILA has also formed working groups in 34 countries and regions, including the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Japan, Singapore, Italy, the United Kingdom, and others,with five representative offices (Centers) in Xi’an, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Haikou and Hangzhou. By engaging with high-level cooperation mechanisms such as the Euro-Asia Economic Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia, the Conference of Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia Conference to promote resource sharing, including intelligence and information, and maximize the value of integrated resources. BRILA has established multiple layers of management structures since its inception, including the General Assembly, the Council of Directors, and the Secretariat, The multi-channel and all-round functions of professional committees, country/region working groups, and representative offices have been effectively utilized.

News media reports are as follows.

1. People's Daily Online：

http://society.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0914/c1008-40077849.html

2. Xinhua News Agency：

http://bj.news.cn/20230907/8adb2fcbf27f4393bbadaee94bf56b63/c.html

3. CCTV：

https://news.cctv.com/2023/09/06/ARTIOdQtlXWOmqKlmPyLgVWe230906.shtml

4. Legal Daily;

http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/zfzz/content/2023-09/06/content_8897337.html

5. Beijing Daily：

https://bjrbdzb.bjd.com.cn/bjrb/mobile/2023/20230904/20230904_014/content_20230904_014_3.htm#page13

6. Beijing Youth Daily：

https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20230904A04I3L00