The Impact of the Hague Conference of Private International Law on China: Past, Present and Future

The Hague Conference on Private International Law (the HCCH) is the most productive and influential international organization in the progressive harmonization of Private International Law (PIL). The HCCH aims to harmonize PIL across different legal systems and traditions by addressing legal problems through universal regulations. China officially became a member of the HCCH in 1987, but the impact of the HCCH on the development of China's PIL predates its membership. The HCCH has introduced new perspectives to China. Through its increasingly active participation in the negotiation of different Hague Conventions, China has also demonstrated its legal culture and its understanding on different PIL issues to the world. With China's goal of advancing a high-standard opening-up and enhancing its role in global governance by strengthening the rule of law in foreign affairs, it is necessary to review the interaction between the HCCH and China and to envision their future relationship. This paper examines the impact of the HCCH on China by analyzing the changes the HCCH has brought to the development of China's PIL, exploring the application of the Hague Conventions in China and considering the future of the interaction between the HCCH and China.