 {| align="right" | |} extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as foreign embassies, military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the united nations. the three most common cases recognized today internationally relate to the persons and belongings of foreign heads of state, the persons and belongings of ambassadors and other diplomats, and ships in foreign waters. extraterritoriality is often extended to friendly or allied militaries, particularly for the purposes of allowing that military to simply pass through one's territory. it is distinguished from personal jurisdiction in the sense that extraterritoriality operates to the prejudice of local jurisdiction. ==historical cases== ===14th century=== during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the italian sea republics of genoa and venice managed to wrestle extraterritoriality for their quarters (pera and galata) in the byzantine capital, constantinople. they even battled among themselves for further control of the weakened empire. ===east asia=== the most well-known cases of historical extraterritoriality concerned european nationals in 19th century china, japan and siam under the unequal treaties. ====china==== thumb|right|a hearing of the international mixed court at shanghai, c. 1905 extraterritoriality was imposed upon china in the treaty of nanking, resulting from the first opium war. shanghai in particular became a major center of foreign activity, as it contained two extraterritorial zones, the shanghai international settlement and the shanghai french concession. chinese and non-treaty state nationals in these settlements were subject to chinese law but were tried by the international mixed court which had a chinese judge and foreign assessor sitting on it.{{cite thesis |last= hammond|first= kelly|title= the shanghai mixed court 1863-1880 â colonial institution building and the creation of legal knowledge as a process of interaction and mediation between the chinese and the british|type= thesis|url= http://summit.sfu.ca/item/8387|year= 2007|publisher= [[sim
International_law