China Paves Its Way in New Areas of International Law

China is looking to increase its capacity and influence in international legal matters – and it is particularly in frontier areas of the law that China is likely to take a proactive stance.

China sees international law as an important instrument in the 'toolbox' of international diplomacy. It will increasingly be seeking to leverage international law to promote its own interests, particularly in newer areas, as it seeks to strengthen its wider soft power and influence.

• Primary Source

European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: In-Depth Analysis, March 2017: Challenges to Freedom of the Seas and Maritime Rivalry in Asia http://www.europeansources.info/record/challenges-to-freedom-of-the-seas-and-maritime-rivalry-in-asia/

ESO: Background information: How do EU norms diffuse? Rule of law promotion in EU-China cooperation on environmental governance http://www.europeansources.info/record/how-do-eu-norms-diffuse-rule-of-law-promotion-in-eu-china-cooperation-on-environmental-governance/

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