China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday issued its first e-Apostille Certificate to a batch of automobiles to be exported to Saudi Arabia, which functions as an electronic "passport" of the exported products' Certificate of Origin.
Issuance of the electronic Apostille Certificate is part of a pilot program launched Wednesday by the foreign ministry that is aimed at facilitating cross-border personnel exchange and international economic and trade cooperation.
The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents entered into force in China in November 2023. And from then on, the official documents sent between China and other contracting countries for use required only an Apostille Certificate issued by the countries they come from, while consular authentication was no longer required.
The new online service has helped enterprises to save a lot of time in document affairs as they can apply for an Apostille Certificate online and don't need to submit paper documents, said Dai Hongkai, manager of the overseas business department of the auto company.
"Our staff can directly submit the application in the system and once the application is approved, we can print it out. This means we no longer need to submit paper documents to various departments. As we have export business, if we spend less time in handling documents for customs clearance, our vehicles will be less likely to be held up at the destination port, and local dealers don't need to pay the related fees. So, the pilot program helps to raise the satisfaction rate of our dealers, and facilitates our export business," said Dai.
The Apostille Certificate serves as the "passport" for public documents to go abroad, so their holders can use them directly in the Convention's contracting countries, said Du Jitao, director of the authentication division of the foreign ministry's Department of Consular Affairs.
"Just like when citizens want to travel abroad, they need to have a passport and a visa, certificates like driver's license and academic certificate also need a passport and a visa to be used abroad. Since China signed the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents in 2023, the embassies and consulates of China and over 120 contracting countries have mutually abolished consular authentication. This means the documents don't need a 'visa' when being used in the contracting countries, but a 'passport' is still required and that is the Apostille Certificate," said Du.
Currently, the foreign ministry is working with related government departments to explore how to issue the e-Apostille Certificate across a wider range of fields through data sharing. The expanded pilot program is expected to include more kinds of certificates issued in the Chinese mainland.
"First, we will continue to enhance the security and convenience of consular authentication through data empowerment. Second, we will work to reach more bilateral or multilateral arrangements on mutual exemption from authentication, so that the driver's license, academic certificate, and other public documents issued in the Chinese mainland can be used in the contracting countries without going through any required authentication procedures. These efforts will help ensure that Chinese and foreign citizens and enterprises have smoother and easier experience in cross-border document circulation service," said Du.
Currently, the Convention has 126 contracting countries, including China's major trading partners like the United States, Japan, Australia, and Russia, and most of the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
China launches pilot program to issue electronic "passport" for public documents
European countries and international organizations have widely condemned Israeli air strikes on Lebanon which have resulted in more than 1,000 civilian casualties, including children, and have caused damage to civilian infrastructure.
Israel launched large-scale air raids across Lebanon on Wednesday, saying it had carried out 100 strikes within a matter of minutes on positions they claimed belonged to the Hezbollah group.
Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported more than 300 had been killed in the attacks, with roughly 1,150 wounded.
The attacks came after a two-week ceasefire agreement was reached by the United States and Iran. However, both Israel and the United States have maintained Lebanon is not included in the truce.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday accused Israel of violating international law to carry out the air strikes on Lebanon, calling the attacks "a shame on the conscience of all humanity".
Earlier on Thursday, Albares announced that Spain would reopen its embassy in Tehran in the hope of achieving peace in the region.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Israel had "disrespected" the two-week ceasefire with Iran by carrying out the strikes.
Meloni also warned of further economic turmoil if U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran flare up again, and said the European Union should consider a temporary suspension of the Stability and Growth Pact, an agreement which ensures economic stability within the European Union, in order to handle the potential monetary consequences.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday warned that Israel's military operations in Lebanon could cause the entire peace process as a whole to fail, telling a press conference in Berlin "that must not happen."
Merz announced that the German government will resume direct talks with Iran in order to support the newly agreed two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
He also stated that a window of opportunity for a negotiated solution has opened for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict, though he cautioned that the situation in the Middle East remains "fragile."
The UK's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday that she is "deeply troubled" by Israel's escalating attacks on Lebanon, expressing hope that Lebanon will be included in the current ceasefire arrangement.
Cooper also reiterated the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the effective closure of the vital shipping chokepoint had been "deeply damaging for the world", while stressing how crucial the passageway is to the entire global economy.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the Israeli strikes on Lebanon as "intolerable."
In a radio interview, Barrot said France strongly condemns "the massive strikes" which seriously undermine the temporary ceasefire reached earlier between the United States and Iran. The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday that Israel's latest strikes on Lebanon, which killed hundreds overnight, could not be considered as an act of self-defense.
"Israel's right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction," Kallas said in a post on the social media platform X. She warned that the strikes risk further destabilizing the region and added that Israel's actions were putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain.
Despite this widespread criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Thursday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon, signaling that Israel will continue its military operations while pursuing planned negotiations with Beirut.
"There is no ceasefire in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video address to residents of northern Israel, adding: "We continue to strike Hezbollah with force and we will not stop until we restore your security."
Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon following what he described as repeated requests from the Lebanese government.
The negotiations, which are expected to begin next week in Washington, aim to disarm Hezbollah and reach a "historic and lasting" peace agreement, Netanyahu added. Delegations will be led by the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States.
Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations and technically remain in a state of war.
European Leaders widely condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon
