The 3R principles of laboratory animal research have been universally recognized and applied worldwide for decades, but they are inherently flawed and cannot systematically protect the welfare of laboratory animals, save social costs, or create social benefits. In 2020, new principles of animal ethics research were proposed that inherited the 3R principles, with the composition of three principles of “social benefits” and “animal welfare” This paper analyzes the new principles of animal ethics and proposes a direction for future laboratory animal legislation in China from the perspective of the six new principles.