China has revised and enacted measures to implement its legal services commitments; however, these measures have also led to the World Trade Organization (WTO) compliance concerns from other WTO members. Meanwhile, local decrees have been promulgated to allow deeper collaborations between local and foreign firms than China’s commitments to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). This situation is confusing understandings of foreign legal services in China. To pierce the veil and determine what is occurring, this article assesses whether China’s domestic measures are consistent with its WTO obligations, analyses the factors causing trade limitations, and envisages a mechanism to further the liberalization of foreign legal services. Moreover, this article provides a comprehensive understanding of foreign legal services in China.
Journal of World Trade