The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China adopted the Foreign Relations Law of the People’s Republic of China, which will come into force on July 1, 2023. The newspaper Kommersant writes that the document contains the main principles and tasks of China’s diplomatic activity. These include the protection of sovereignty and national security, the priority of the interests of the Chinese people, the pursuit of peaceful development, and foreign economic openness. The law also refers to China’s Marxism-Leninism orientation and the ideas of Mao Zedong, and the concept of “socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new age” proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
For the first time, the law defines the powers of state officials to consolidate foreign policy and economic management, rather than performing the separate functions of the various departments. By law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the PRC will continue to handle the main issues of international cooperation and the overall management of China’s diplomatic missions, but will have to coordinate its activities with the State Council. concluding treaties and agreements with the PRC (government) and other states, having the function of general regulation of foreign policy. The new law provides for the country’s more active participation in foreign policy activities and the fulfillment of national duties within the framework of the powers of other ministries and departments.
For China, this is a significant change in the structure of foreign relations management. Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC was only subject to “party” control and will now be part of the government (State Council).
The overall consolidation by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Central Committee will help achieve national goals, including economic development and strengthening national security. Wang Yi, head of the commission office, pointed out that the new law expands the legal possibilities to counter foreign aggression.
Although the law itself does not specify specific external threats and mechanisms of intervention, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China takes the right to adopt the necessary regulations and rules to prevent them. The document also emphasizes that foreign companies operating in China must not only comply with the law, but also “not endanger national security” and “not violate the public interest”.
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