Abstract: Changes have taken place in China’s accessibility regulatory system since the Barrier-Free Environment Creation Law was promulgated last year. This new law, issued by a higher authority than that of its predecessor, the Barrier-Free Regulation, broadens the scope of beneficiaries of barrier-free environment, pays more attention to the importance of accessibility standards, authorizes the procuratorate to file public interest litigations, and brings many new articles in response to real-life needs. It has the potential to narrow regional gap, Digital Gap, and the gap between China’s accessibility laws and international guidelines and practices. The “soft law” articles in the new law might be criticized for being impracticable, but may also be interpreted positively as a pursuit of the ideal of social law in a larger sense.

Keywords: Legal implementation ofaccessibility; Barrier-Free Law; standards.intemational perspective; regional disparities; actionability; legal toolset; social law