Push against U.S. hegemony: China passes its first law on foreign policy line

The law provides a legal basis for a diplomatic offensive against sanctions that violate international law and the West's policy of intervention. It aims to constantly expand the legal instruments against the Western world police.

China's top legislature passed the Foreign Relations Law on Wednesday. It represents a milestone, as it is the first fundamental and comprehensive law on the foreign policy line aimed at countering Western hegemony at the geopolitical level. Under Western hegemony, China is facing unilateral sanctions and outside interference in its internal affairs, China's Global Times commented. The law will come into force on July 1. The maxim, divided into six chapters, sets out the guidelines and basic principles of external relations.

According to the report, China's foreign policy aims to expand foreign relations, develop a global partnership, and promote a versatile, multi-level, far-reaching and three-dimensional design of foreign work. This also includes the promotion of coordination and positive interaction between the most important countries of the world.

In recent years, developments in international politics have brought new challenges for China. "The gaps in the rule of law in foreign affairs are beginning to come to light," Huo Zhengxin, a law professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

On the one hand, in view of the frequent interference of Western hegemonic powers in China's internal affairs by imposing unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction", China has not yet established a comprehensive concept and an effective blockade mechanism. Thus, the "shield" of the rule of law in foreign affairs is not yet fully established, Huo noted. However, in terms of safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, there is still a lack of sufficient supply of legal institutions, especially in the field of foreign policy, Huo added.

While China faces growing challenges, including export control measures and sanctions for which international law does not provide adequate remedies, the Foreign Policy Line Law is seen as necessary and an important step forward in the domestic legal framework for regulating foreign relations.

The U.S. is the world's sanctions superpower. According to the Treasury Department's 2021 sanctions report, the number of active U.S. sanctions measures has risen to more than 9,400, according to a report released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in February on U.S. far-reaching jurisdiction. In recent years, China has been increasingly subject to US sanctions over a range of issues such as high-tech, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the Ukraine crisis.

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