There are 171 overseas law firm representative offices that are permitted to operate business from the Chinese mainland, said a senior official with the Ministry of Justice on Thursday.

Of the total, business offices of Hong Kong-based law firms total 42 in the Chinese mainland, according to Li Renzhen, deputy head of the division for guidance over attorneys and notaries with the Ministry of Justice.

While addressing a forum on development of international intermediary service in China, Li said that the legal service market is now globalized in the Chinese mainland, coupled with expansion in the opening-up drive in this regard since 1992 when the country experimented with the practice of allowing overseas law firms to start up business offices in the Chinese mainland.

After joining the World Trade Organization, the Chinese government has scrapped restrictions on foreign law firms regarding the number and location of business offices a foreign law firm may establish in the Chinese mainland, and widened the scope of business of foreign law firm offices and their representatives in the country, as well as lowered the qualifications required of chief representatives and employees to be posted in foreign law firm offices in the country, said Li.

With the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement(CEPA) between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and Macao, it will be easier for attorneys of Hong Kong to operate business or work in the Chinese mainland as the Chinese government will honor its commitments for opening up its legal service.

China began to rebuild the bar system in 1978.

There are currently 102,000 licensed attorneys and 11,000 law agencies across the country. 
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2004)