East China's Zhejiang province launched a pilot program to provide free legal services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a ceremony in Quzhou city on Wednesday.

The program came amid a sluggish global trade market. Zhejiang has a robust economy due to its vibrant private sector. But in recent years, SMEs, a driving force for the province's private economy, have been bearing the brunt of the anemic growth of global trade, and disadvantaged by a lack of legal capabilities in addressing trade disputes.

The program is designed to provide free legal services to SMEs to help them deal with trade disputes and mitigate legal risks when entering overseas market.

At the launch ceremony, the Quzhou Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Quzhou Municipal Bureau of Justice signed a cooperation agreement on pro bono legal services for Quzhou's SMEs. Under the agreement, the two bodies have invited 27 lawyers to provide legal services. When encountering disputes about doing business with foreign companies, SMEs in Quzhou could turn to them for legal aid.

In recent years, the Quzhou Council for the Promotion of International Trade has contributed a lot to exploring international market, improving the business environment, streamlining administrative procedures, and establishing legal infrastructure for international trade in the city.

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