China’s First Provincial-Level Foreign-Related Legal Service Center Unveiled in Henan

Ta Kung Zhongyuan

Zhengzhou: On January 10, the unveiling ceremony for the Henan Provincial Foreign-Related Legal Service Center was held in Zhengzhou, marking the establishment of China’s first provincial-level foreign-related legal service center.

The event was attended by He Zhenhua, Party Secretary and Director of the Henan Provincial Department of Justice; Wang Jun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Commerce; Liu Zhiliang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; and Zhang Yan, President of the Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade. He Zhenhua and Wang Jun jointly unveiled the center.

During the ceremony, attendees toured the new center, gaining insights into its services and operational model.

Located in the Zhengzhou Area of the Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone, the center serves the entire province by integrating resources such as legal counseling, notarization, judicial appraisal, and commercial mediation. It has established a unified legal service system, bringing together lawyers, notaries, and experts with extensive experience in foreign-related legal matters. The center aims to meet the legal needs of market entities in areas such as compliance management, risk prevention, and dispute resolution.

Currently, Henan has over 12,000 companies engaged in import and export activities, around 3,000 foreign-invested enterprises, and nearly 500 enterprises involved in international contracting, investment, and labor cooperation.

The center consolidates various legal service resources to provide foreign-related legal consultations, international commercial arbitration, notarization, and commercial mediation. It also operates the Henan Foreign-Related Legal Services Network, offering comprehensive and around-the-clock legal services for foreign-related business operations.

“For handling cross-border legal issues in the past, we often had to invest significant effort and costs to find professional resources. Now, with the establishment of the Provincial Foreign-Related Legal Service Center and the launch of the online platform, we have an effective bridge to connect legal service supply and demand. This makes legal support for our investments and operations much more convenient,” said a business representative attending the event, expressing optimism about future development.

He Zhenhua emphasized the importance of implementing the provincial government’s action plan to enhance foreign-related legal service capabilities. He called for optimizing service models and product offerings, building a top-tier platform for foreign-related legal services, and fostering collaboration with departments like commerce to better serve businesses. The center also aims to provide “accompaniment-style” services for companies expanding overseas, strengthen legal education related to foreign matters, and promote mutual learning and cooperation with countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. By offering high-quality legal services, Henan seeks to empower high-quality development and establish itself as a hub for foreign-related legal services in central China.

The launch of this center represents a pragmatic step in improving service infrastructure and enhancing institutional innovation in the Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone’s Zhengzhou Area. In recent years, the zone has actively pursued pioneering and integrated explorations, resulting in 360 innovation achievements to date, including 52 nationwide firsts and 12 models replicated and promoted across China. With its innovative approach, Henan’s Free Trade Zone has created a distinctive position in the national free trade zone landscape, branding itself as a “Silk Road Free Trade Zone.”