On 12 Nov. 2021, the China Forum on International Legal Cooperation (2021) was held in Beijing, with representatives from 20 countries including China, Russia, and Brazil, and those from relevant international organizations, participating in the hybrid discussion in person or remotely. China has hosted this forum for three consecutive years.
This forum adopted the “China Forum on International Legal Cooperation (2021) Beijing Declaration” (hereinafter “the Beijing Declaration”, 北京宣言).
The Beijing Declaration mainly expresses that China will firmly uphold multilateralism, including international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, the basic norms governing international relations embodied in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and support the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its heart.
Specifically, the Beijing Declaration emphasized promoting cooperation on digital connectivity, developing international rules for the digital economy that reflect the will and respect the interests of all sides, eliminating the digital divide, and strengthening international cooperation in cross-border e-commerce. This is in line with China's advocacy of digital connectivity in the 2020 G20 Riyadh Leaders’ Declaration (利雅得峰會宣言).
Cover Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
