Dehehantong and the School of International Education of Shanghai Business School held a dialogue and exchange activity on practical legal aid between China and foreign countries under the background of the "Belt and Road Initiative"

On June 10, 2025, Shanghai Dehehantong Law Offices and the College of International Education of Shanghai Business School jointly hosted a dialogue event titled “New Horizons in Cross-Border Legal Collaboration: Dialogue on Sino-Foreign Legal Assistance Practice under the Belt and Road Initiative.” Centered on the core topic of “How to Effectively Mitigate Legal Risks through Comprehensive Legal Aid Mechanisms,” the event laid the foundation for deepening practical cooperation in legal practice between China and other countries.

International guests including Phangarat Marpraneet, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Court of Thailand, and Helen Tesfaye Tsegaye, Prosecutor, Directorate General of Legal Research, Drafting and Consolidation, Ministry of Justice, Ethiopia, visited DHHT for this event, along with Dr. Zhao Mengxi, PhD in Civil and Commercial Law, Faculty member at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, specializes in Civil and Commercial Law. Jason Jiang, the Founding Partner of DHHT, Lance Nie, the Partner of DHHT Shanghai Office, and other DHHT attorneys actively engaged in the event. The conference was hosted by Teresa Yang, Partner at DHHT Shanghai Office.

01Opening Remarks

In his opening remarks, Jason Jiang, the Founding Partner of DHHT, extended a warm welcome to the international guests from Thailand and Ethiopia, as well as to the Members from MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) at SBS. He emphasized the importance of transnational cooperation in legal aid and expressed his hope to draw on the valuable experiences of different countries through this exchange. He called for joint efforts to explore innovative models of legal aid in order to address specific legal challenges arising under ‘the Belt and Road Initiative’ and to further promote Sino-foreign collaboration in legal aid practices.

Phangarat Marpraneet, Deputy Secretary-General, the Supreme Court of Thailand, delivered a keynote speech outlining Thailand’s legal aid system as established under its legislative framework. She noted that legal aid practices vary significantly across countries and expressed her eagerness to learn from China’s extensive experience in this area through the event.

02Open Discussion

The open discussion session was chaired by Lance Nie, the Partner of DHHT Shanghai Office. Participants from MOFCOM Training Base and attending lawyers engaged in an in-depth dialogue on key topics such as the role of the Communist Party of China in legal aid, the structure of the legal aid system, and the provision of public interest legal services. The discussion covered the fundamentals of China’s legal aid system, its target beneficiaries, and various ways lawyers are involved.

Attorney Charles Liu, explained the role of the Communist Party of China within the national legal aid framework, highlighted various forms of aid under the Party’s leadership, including public service pools composed of Party-member lawyers and Party-community collaborative legal services. A trainee from Cuba enthusiastically shared how political parties in Cuba contribute to legal aid, prompting a lively and in-depth discussion among the participants.

Attorney Alan Yu, provided an overview of China’s legal aid landscape and the substantial support and investment by the Chinese government. He introduced the guiding principles of China’s Legal Aid Regulations and used three vivid real-life scenarios to stimulate reflection on the scope of legal aid beneficiaries. He also presented practical avenues available for eligible individuals to access legal aid services.

Attorney Yiwen Xie，introduced the legal aid system for criminal cases in China, explaining its core components and applicable scope. International guests shared the mechanisms used in their own countries for assigning criminal defense lawyers under legal aid, generating an enthusiastic and dynamic exchange.

Attorney Amilia Chen, presented the operational mechanisms of China’s public interest legal service centers and shared her personal insights and experiences from participating in pro bono legal service initiatives.

Attorney Clay Liu, the Partner of DHHT Shanghai office, shared real-world legal aid cases from his own professional experience. He emphasized that public interest legal services are diverse and not strictly confined by statutory definitions, and that lawyers can provide assistance within their capacity to those in need.

03Closing Summary

In her closing remarks, Helen Tesfaye Tsegaye, Prosecutor, Directorate General of Legal Research, Drafting and Consolidation, Ministry of Justice, Ethiopia, remarked that the exchange was highly valuable in exploring effective implementation of legal aid. She praised the breadth of China’s legal aid system and expressed her hope for deeper cross-border collaboration in the future.

Zhao Mengxi, PhD in Civil and Commercial Law, Faculty member at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, elaborated on the current challenges facing Sino-foreign collaboration in legal aid. She expressed a desire to innovate existing models, strengthen international cooperation, promote digital transformation in legal aid, and jointly raise the overall level of legal assistance across countries.

By establishing a practical dialogue platform for Sino-foreign legal aid, the event explored both the opportunities and challenges of cross-border legal cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. As one of the founding law firms of the MTCC Xuhui Agreement, DHHT will continue to leverage the West Bund Digital Valley’s international legal service cluster to deepen global legal cooperation. The firm aims to empower cross-border collaboration with professional expertise, jointly write a new chapter in international rule of law cooperation, and continuously drive innovation in legal aid practices to support the steady advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative’s legal development.