On November 29, the Tahota Central Asia Legal Research Institute was officially inaugurated at the 2025 3rd Tahota "Belt and Road" Legal Service Innovation and Development Forum.

The Tahota Central Asia Legal Research Institute is the first Central Asia-focused legal research institute established by a large-scale law firm in China. It marks a crucial step forward for Tahota in advancing specialized and systematic legal research targeting Central Asia, as well as in building cross-border legal service capabilities. This initiative aims to respond to the evolving demand of the times for regional cooperation to deepen from "hard connectivity" to "soft connectivity", and to provide solid intellectual support for the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

Central Asia is a frontier for China’s westward opening-up and a key region for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" Initiative. To further advance the development of the "Belt and Road" Initiative and accurately meet the legal needs arising from regional cooperation, Tahota has established the Central Asia Legal Research Institute. Positioned as a practice-oriented research platform, the institute will systematically focus on core issues including the legal systems, economic and trade rules, investment compliance and dispute resolution in the five Central Asian countries and their surrounding regions. It is committed to generating research outcomes that can directly empower business decision-making and project implementation, and providing forward-looking assessments and systematic solutions for the firm’s and its partners’ overseas businesses.

The institute relies on a robust industry-university-research collaborative network. Since its inception, it has brought together experts and scholars from institutions of higher learning including Xinjiang University, Southwest University of Political Science & Law, Xinjiang Normal University, and Xinjiang University of Finance & Economics. Together with senior cross-border legal counsel from Tahota, they form an expert committee, creating a synergistic research force that deeply integrates theoretical insights with practical expertise. Dr. Bai Li, Executive Director of Tahota’s Urumqi Office, serves as the Dean of the institute, while Dr. Wang Xiaofeng, the Consultant, takes up the role of Executive Dean. Both leaders boast over two decades of experience in Central Asian legal research and practice, which will ensure that the institute’s research is grounded in real-world needs, responds to practical challenges, and effectively drives the transformation and application of research outcomes.

In the future, the institute will strive to build a four-in-one collaborative ecosystem encompassing "rule research, practical support, policy consultation, and talent cultivation". It is not only committed to becoming a think tank and brain trust in the field of the rule of law in Central Asia, but also will systematically cultivate interdisciplinary legal talents proficient in international rules and well-versed in regional markets. In this way, it will continuously inject professional, stable and predictable legal momentum into the steady and long-term advancement of the "Belt and Road" Initiative.