Strategic Lawfare: China's Instrumentalization of International Legal Orders (hcss.nl)

• China treats international law as a flexible instrument rather than a set of fixed constraints.
• Development of Belt and Road-linked dispute resolution mechanisms challenges Western legal hegemony.
• EU must adopt proactive legal diplomacy to mitigate risks of regulatory fragmentation.

"The HCSS report highlights how China is reshaping global governance by operationalizing international law to serve strategic interests rather than overturning the system. By building parallel institutions and reinterpreting norms, Beijing creates structural asymmetries where European adherence to legal constraints is exploited. The study introduces a five-stage framework of lawfare, particularly advanced in trade. It warns that unless the EU transitions from viewing law as neutral terrain to a tool of geopolitical competition, it faces erosion of its normative influence and regulatory fragmentation. The authors advocate for proactive legal diplomacy and coordinated standard-setting."