NEW PUBLICATION: CHINESE CONTEXT AND COMPLEXITIES — COMPARATIVE LAW AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW FACING NEW NORMATIVITIES IN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

Ulla Liukkunen, Professor of Labour Law and Private International Law at the University of Helsinki and Director of the Finnish China Law Center, has published an article under the title “Chinese context and complexities – comparative law and private international law facing new normativities in international commercial arbitration”. The article appeared in the first edition of the electronic journal Ius Comparatum, a new project of the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL) that focuses on the necessity of using comparative methods in order to get a better understanding of international arbitration.

The article discusses how recent developments in Chinese private international law affect international commercial arbitration. In global terms, the organization of cross-border dispute resolution is changing as a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) development. With the BRI, Chinese interest in international commercial arbitration has gained a new dimension as BRI promotes the expansion of Chinese dispute resolution institutions and their international competitiveness. These developments challenge the current narrative of international arbitration.

The article states that private international law is explored as a framework for discussion of noteworthy characteristics of the Chinese legal system and legal culture that are present in international commercial arbitration. Comparative methodology is proposed to be rethought so that it can promote an understanding of Chinese law in the arbitration process. The article argues for adopting comparison as a methodological approach in arbitration. Comparison as a process penetrates the decision-making of arbitrators, also governing the conflict-of-law dimension. Moreover, the article argues that considerations of the Chinese private international law and arbitration regime speak for a broader comparative research perspective towards international commercial arbitration.

The article as well as the whole journal are available on the website of IACL.

This blog post was written by one of the Center’s interns, Johanna Fähnrich. Johanna is an exchange student from Germany. She will be studying law at the University of Helsinki until next summer and recently joined the team of the China Law Center because she is interested in learning about different legal systems and comparing them to each other.

New publication: Chinese Policy and Presence in the Arctic

The Finnish China Law Center is pleased to introduce the new book entitled ‘Chinese policy and presence in the Arctic’ edited by Professor Timo Koivurova and Dr. Sanna Kopra from the University of Lapland.

The book was built on and developed from the report titled ‘China in the Arctic; and the Opportunities and Challenges for Chinese-Finnish Arctic Co-operation.’ The report was published in February 2019 as part of the project ‘Finland’s Arctic Council chairmanship in the times of increasing uncertainty’ funded by the Finnish Government’s Analysis, Assessment and Research Activities unit. It drew ample attention among the media and government officials from Finland and abroad, signaling an increased interest in China’s role in the Arctic. This has encouraged the authors to diversify and expand their approach to the theme.

The book offers an overview of China’s economic engagements in the Arctic, China’s policy regarding Arctic governance, and how it has evolved during the past years. It also discusses China’s interests and strategies in the region, and the initiatives the country has offered. It should be noted that the book is centered around economic and governance aspects, rather than the geopolitics implications of China’s involvement in the Arctic and its interaction with other players in the region.

‘Chinese policy and presence in the Arctic’ is the first comprehensive account of China’s endeavors in the Arctic region. ‘The book is unique in the sense that it does not follow the predominant alarmist approach which views China as a threat, but attempts to provide an objective analytical analysis of Chinese Arctic policy’, said Dr. Sanna Kopra. Since extensive reviews of China’s policy and presence in the Arctic are scarce, the book poses as a valuable contribution to the current collection of scholarly work on the topic and a must-read for students and scholars of China studies and Arctic affairs.

The book also offered an opportunity for the authors to focus on the environmental issues relating to China’s presence in the Arctic. The chapter ‘China, Climate Change and the Arctic Environment’ examines in great detail China’s ecological footprint in the Arctic and its role in international efforts to tackle climate change and pollution. ‘This is something that has not been discussed in this length in the existing literature’, added Dr. Sanna Kopra.

The book is available on the publisher’s website at https://brill.com/view/title/55687.

New Publication: Enclave Governance and Transnational Labor Law – A Case Study of Chinese Workers on Strike in Africa

Ulla Liukkunen, Professor of Labour Law and Private International Law at the University of Helsinki and Director of the Finnish China Law Center and Yifeng Chen, Associate Professor at Peking University Law School and Assistant Director of the Peking University Institute of International Law published this month an article entitled ‘Enclave Governance and Transnational Labor Law – A Case Study of Chinese Workers on Strike in Africa’ in the Nordic Journal of International Law.

The article examines deficits in the current legal framework of posted workers in a global setting through a case study involving Chinese posted workers striking in Equatorial Guinea. Posting highlights the challenges that economic globalisation and transformation of the labour market pose to labour law. As a phenomenon whose normativity is deeply embedded in the cross-border  setting where it occurs, posting should profoundly affect the transnational labour law agenda. The emergence of transnational labour law should be seen from the perspective of reconceptualising existing normative regimes in the light of an underpinning transnationality and sketching the architecture for the normative edifice of transnational labour protection. The transnational legal  context under scrutiny calls for a wider normative framework where the intersections between labour law, international law and private international law are taken seriously. Global protection of  posted workers should be a featured project on the transnational labour law agenda.

‘Enclave Governance and Transnational Labor Law – A Case Study of Chinese Workers on Strike in Africa’ is among many results of research cooperation between Professor Liukkunen and Professor Chen. They had previously published China and ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights At Work (Kluwer 2014) and Fundamental Labour Rights in China – Legal Implementation and Cultural Logic (Springer 2016).

Cover of the Nordic Journal of International Law

REPORT OF THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF THE CHINA LAW CENTER

The Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture is pleased to announce the publication of the Report on its First Four Years (2013-2016).

Cover of the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture First Four Years Report Report (2013-2016).

The Report contains detailed information about the Center’s objectives and successes and the China law-related activities of its 10 member institutions.

The Report can be viewed and downloaded here.

Questions or comments about the Report are encouraged. Please direct them to Stuart Mooney, Coordinator of the Finnish China Law Center, at stuart.mooney (at) helsinki.fi.

Book launch of ‘Normative Readings of the Belt and Road Initiative: Road to New Paradigms’ (Springer 2018)

On 29 August 2018, the Finnish China Law Center and the Faculty of Law of the University of Helsinki hosted the launch of the new book, Normative Readings of the Belt and Road Initiative: Road to New Paradigms (Springer 2018).

The book, edited by University of Helsinki scholars Professor Kimmo Nuotio and Doctoral Candidate Kangle Zhang, is an international collaboration with Chinese scholars.

Professor Shan Wenhua, Dean of the School of Law and founding Director of the Silk Road Institute for International and Comparative Law (SRIICL) at Xi’an Jiaotong University, also co-edited the publication.

Front cover of the new publication (picture courtesy of Springer).

The event was hosted by the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Helsinki, Professor Pia Letto-Vanamo.

An overview of the book and its main themes was given by one of the editors, Professor Kimmo Nuotio.

Comments on the new book were provided by Professor Ditlev Tamm (University of Copenhagen) and Associate Professor Chen Yifeng (Peking University), who is also Docent in the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki.

The event was free and open to the public.

About the new book

The edited volume of 12 chapters provides normative readings on China’s foreign affairs ‘master plan’ and signature policy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative.

According to Professor Kimmo Nuotio, co-editor and author of the book’s epilogue, the publication is an international effort that aims to shed light on under-explored non-trade normative aspects of China’s epic global infrastructure project, as well as the initiative’s socio-legal implications.

‘The book focuses on aspects of the so-called ‘New Silk Road’ Initiative that we thought deserved more attention, such as issues relating to culture and legal philosophy, environmental law and protection, social responsibility, and the rule of law, judiciary and the role of lawyers’, Professor Nuotio says.

Lecture by Dr Sanna Kopra on her new book ‘China and Great Power Responsibility for Climate Change’ (Routledge 2018)

On 14 August 2018, Dr Sanna Kopra gave a public lecture on her recently published book, China and Great Power Responsibility for Climate Change (Routledge 2018) at the University of Helsinki, one of the Finnish China Law Center’s 10 member institutions.

Dr Kopra spoke at the Aleksanteri Institute (Unioninkatu 33) in the University of Helsinki, one of the world’s largest and best-known centres in the field of Russian and Eastern European studies.

The event was free, open to the public and registration was not necessary.

Cover of Dr Kopra’s new book, China and Great Power Responsibility for Climate Change (Routledge 2018). Picture credit: www.crcpress.com.

About the speaker

Dr Kopra is a specialist on China and environmental responsibility. Her publications include academic articles and popular science texts on China’s climate policy, Arctic governance, sustainable development and international environmental responsibility. Her professional positions include Postdoctoral Researcher in the Aleksanteri Institute and Member of Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), both located in the University of Helsinki.

 

Dr Kopra speaking at another recent event about her book. Photo credit: Lena Gorbacheva, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki.

About the book

Based on a premise that great powers have unique responsibilities in international society, Dr Kopra’s book explores the way China’s rise to great power status transforms the notions of great power responsibility in general and in the context of international climate politics in particular. The book produces empirical knowledge on the Chinese party–state’s conceptions of state responsibility and the influence of those notions on China’s role in international climate politics.

Regarding theory, the book builds on and contributes to the English School of International Relations and argues that the international norm of climate responsibility is an emerging attribute of great power responsibility. The book also discusses the way China will act out its climate responsibility in the future and ponders broader implications of China’s evolving notions of great power responsibility for climate change. Thus, it seeks to shed new light on the transformations China’s rise will yield and the kind of great power China will prove to be.

Scholars from the University of Helsinki Team with Chinese Researchers for New Book on China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative

Scholars from the University of Helsinki, one of the Finnish China Law Center’s 10 member institutions, have in collaboration with Chinese scholars written and edited a recently published book, Normative Readings of the Belt and Road Initiative: Road to New Paradigms (Springer 2018).

The edited volume of 12 chapters provides normative readings on China’s foreign affairs ‘master plan’ and signature policy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative.

Professor Kimmo Nuotio of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki co-edited the book and penned its epilogue.

He says the publication was an international effort that aims to shed light on under-explored non-trade normative aspects of China’s epic global infrastructure project, as well as the initiative’s socio-legal implications.

‘The book focuses on aspects of the so-called ‘New Silk Road’ Initiative that we thought deserved more attention, such as issues relating to culture and legal philosophy, environmental law and protection, social responsibility, and the rule of law, judiciary and the role of lawyers’.

‘Given the scale and importance of the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative, we also felt it necessary that the book generate critical insights into how the project could or should develop and be better regulated’, Professor Nuotio says.

The book was also edited by Professor Shan Wenhua, one of China’s leading scholars on the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative.

Professor Shan is founding Dean of the School of Law and founding Director of the Silk Road Institute for International and Comparative Law (SRIICL) at Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Doctoral Researcher Zhang Kangle of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, also co-edited the publication and authored a chapter on the relationship between China’s new financial institutions and the country’s global strategy.

Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaca, also of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, contributed a chapter on ‘Strengthening the Cultural and Normative Foundations of the Belt and Road Initiative: The Colombo Plan, Yan Xuetong and Chinese Ancient Thought’.

The book is available for loan from the library of the University of Helsinki and for purchase online.

Front cover of the new publication (picture courtesy of Springer).

Articles from the Finnish-Chinese Colloquium on Criminal Law now available online!

Articles from the Symposium on Finnish and Chinese Criminal Law in Comparative Perspective (Finnish-Chinese Colloquium on Criminal Law) published by Peking University Law Journal are now available online!

In August 2016, the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law hosted the First Finnish-Chinese Colloquium on Criminal Law on through the PKU-Helsinki Law Connection, a partnership between Peking University Law School and University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law.

The topics presented at the Colloquium were compiled into research papers, which the Peking University Law Journal has now published. You can view the available articles by following the links below:

Speakers at the First Finnish-Chinese Colloquium on Criminal Law in August 2016.

The Second Colloquium on Finnish and Chinese Criminal Law is expected to be held in late August 2018.

Book launch: “Rule of Law and Sustainable Development” by Dr Pekka Hallberg

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law, hosted the book launch of “Rule of Law and Sustainable Development” by Dr Pekka Hallberg, Emeritus President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland and the founder of Rule of Law Finland (ROLFI), on April 25, 2017. The author introduced the basic ideas in his book, after which Post-Doctoral Researcher Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça, University of Helsinki, and Visiting Researcher Dr Du Junqiang, Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Law, followed with comments and posed questions to the author.

Dr Hallberg introduced a metaphor that he uses to study and observe the development of rule of law, “a house built on solid ground”, and the four dimensional analytical model developed by ROLFI. The model examines the four pillars of the house: legality, separation of powers, rights and obligations of citizens, and functionality of the house. Dr Hallberg introduced each aspect separately, and described how each could be used to observe the development of legality within a country. Each aspect is needed to build a solid foundation for the rule of law within a society. Yet, these factors often develop at different paces and in different order in different countries, depending on their history and cultural roots.

During the commentary that followed Dr Hallberg’s introduction, Dr Vilaça posed an interesting question on the implementation of rule of law. A state’s leadership might have a strategy incorporating all four pillars of the “house” for the implementation of rule of law, the implementation stage might still fail. Finland has a good reputation for its institutions and the development of rule of law – is there something to be learned? Dr Hallberg sees the strength of the Finnish system arising from its bottom-up development and a strong Constitution. The roots of such political organization go back to rise of local communities and self-governing villages in the pre-historic period. Law was perceived as equally binding on authorities as well as on normal citizens. During Finland’s period of autonomy as the Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire (1809-1917), a strong Constitution was developed to guard the basic civil and political rights of Finnish citizens, and was implemented soon after Finland gained independence. A bottom-up approach and a strong constitution remain the basis of the Finnish society and legal culture to this day. However, Dr Hallberg also remarked that all countries have their own, different paths of development that should be respected.

Dr Du’s commentary brought a China-perspective into the discussion. Dr Du emphasized the cultural differences between Finland and China, including the distinct political frameworks. As opposed to the Finnish bottom-up approach, Chinese policy is often guided in a top-down manner. China’s legal and political structures have been deeply influenced by Confucianism and Legalism, the two main schools of philosophy in traditional China, the former of which is based on hierarchical relationships within a family and on one’s place in the social hierarchy. The basic concepts continue to have an influence in modern China, despite enormous changes and transformations in the Chinese society within the past hundred years. Dr Hallberg agreed on the importance of culture and history in analyzing the foundations of legal development, an aspect which he also brings out in his book. Also China’s case is unique: an enormous country with a huge population, whose economy has developed rapidly after the reform and opening up policy was initiated in the late 1970s. The Chinese leadership has since also embarked to establish a rule of law society on its own terms. The gradual incorporation of private ownership, business, human rights and the rule of law into the Chinese Constitution, as well as state policies aimed at strengthening legal frameworks within the country, have been major steps to drive the process forward.

The discussion was followed by more intriguing questions from the audience. Dr Hallberg’s work is a unique piece that compares the development of the rule of law in different parts of the world. The book is built on Dr Hallberg’s first-hand experiences on rule of law projects and his visits to a large number of countries, both developed and developing. It provides cases that elaborate on the differences of the justice system within each country, as well as the basic characteristics – the norms, separation of powers, the status of citizens and the functionality of the system – that set the basis for analyzing the judicial foundation of each individual society.

Du Junqiang, Visiting Researcher (left), Dr Pekka Hallberg, Emeritus President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland, Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaca, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Kimmo Nuotio, Dean of the UH Faculty of Law (right).

Pekka Hallberg, LL. D. and D. Soc. Sc., is Emeritus President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland. He has a wide range of experiences in the field: he has performed law-drafting duties at the Ministry of Justice, worked as a researcher, judge and a university professor in administrative law. He is the author of 23 books and 106 original titles, of which many have been published in several languages. His international experience includes being a board member of the Association of the Councils of State Supreme Administrative Jurisdiction of the European Union (ACA, of which he was president during 2000-2002), and a board member of the International Association of Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions (IASAJ/AIHJA) during 1983-2012. He has actively participated in international judicial cooperation by leading the ROLFI, a research unit connected with a network of legal professionals both at a national and international level.

 

Author: Cristina D. Juola

“Arctic Law and Governance: The Role of China and Finland,” in conversation with Timo Koivurova

In 2014, the Northern Institute of Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM, Arctic Centre) at the University of Lapland initiated a project to study and compare Arctic Law and Governance in Finland and in China, in cooperation with researchers from Wuhan University, China. The project identified similarities and differences between the positions of Finland (as an EU Member State) and China on Arctic law and governance.

In February 2017, a book titled “Arctic Law and Governance: The Role of China and Finland” was published as a result of the project. The book compares Finnish and Chinese legal and policy stances in specific policy areas of relevance for the Arctic, including maritime sovereignty, scientific research, marine protected areas, the Svalbard Treaty and Arctic Council co-operation. The book offers general conclusions on Finnish and Chinese approaches to Arctic governance and international law, as well as new theoretical insights on Arctic governance.

Timo Koivurova, the Principal Investigator for the project, is a Research Professor and the Director of the Arctic Centre of University of Lapland, Finland. Mr. Koivurova has specialized in various aspects of international law applicable in the Arctic and Antarctic region. His research work addresses the interplay between different levels of environmental law, legal status of indigenous peoples, law of the sea in the Arctic waters, integrated maritime policy in the EU, the role of law in mitigating/adapting to climate change, the function and role of the Arctic Council in view of its future challenges and the possibilities for an Arctic treaty. He has been involved as an expert in several international processes globally and in the Arctic region and has published on the above-mentioned topics extensively. This newly-published book adds one more to the list. We had a privilege to interview Mr. Koivurova about the highlights and main findings of the project.

What got you interested in comparative research between Finland and China?

China was accepted as an observer to the predominant inter-governmental forum in the Arctic, the Arctic Council, in Kiruna ministerial meeting in 2013. The group of researchers from Finland and China became interested in studying how Finland’s (also EU’s as Finland is a member state of the European Union) and China’s policy and legal stances differ. Both Finland and China are countries that do not have a coastline to the Arctic Ocean and both China and EU are now acting as observers to the Arctic Council, even if the EU’s formal observer status has not yet been finally accepted. Moreover, as China has not produced a policy statement outlining its Arctic policy, it is highly relevant to look at the Chinese approach to international issues of central importance for the Arctic. That includes fishing in high seas, challenges of biodiversity outside of national jurisdiction, relations with indigenous peoples globally or the questions of the freedom of navigation in and the status of Arctic passages. China may have not declared its approach to such issues specifically as regards the Arctic, but it has produced statements and actions that allow us to understand country’s general approach. The comparison of Chinese approaches with those of a long-term Arctic player (and the one who initiated Arctic cooperation at the end of the 1980s), allows to capture the similarities and differences, and especially areas where China could be at odds with positions taken by Arctic states. Finland – not being an Arctic Ocean coastal state – is here a good benchmark.

What are the main conclusions of your research?

First of all, China, even if many have feared to the contrary, has been and continues to act in a responsible manner in the Arctic. China has in fact tried to keep a low profile, accepting the primary role of Arctic states in the region. Chinese relations with Russia are particularly strong as regards the Arctic. In the Arctic, international law and international rules in fact strengthen China’s position, providing access and rights that could not be achievable (at least presently) via power politics measures.

Authors see a possibility for China to be a stronger actor in the Arctic, first, by building internal capacity as regards knowledge on the Arctic issues and Arctic cooperation, second, by strengthening bilateral ties with Arctic states, third, by becoming more active in the working groups of the Arctic Council, where most of the forum’s activity takes place (that requires expertise and resources), and fourth, by formulating a better defined Arctic strategy. Furthermore, as coastal states may limit access of Chinese scientists to areas under national jurisdiction (or states’ sovereign rights), China should facilitate its research interests by becoming active participant in the organizations for research cooperation. So far, China’s activity in the expert work within the Arctic Council has been rather limited. Also Chinese engagement with Arctic indigenous peoples was generally incidental.

China, while a global great power, is not a principle actor in the Arctic region specifically. At the same time, actors like Finland play above (and more than) their global weight in Arctic governance. As a consequence, a variety of Arctic-focused cooperative linkages have been established between small Nordic states and the global great power. China and Finland appear in fact to share a number of perspectives on Arctic affairs, despite asymmetry in country’s positions and different pathways to their interests in the Arctic region and Arctic cooperation. That includes interest in Arctic economic development, consequences of climate change in the Arctic, as well as countries’ Arctic expertise. In terms of political rhetoric, the discourses on economic possibilities and environmental vulnerability are visible in both countries. In turn, China and EU (and Finland) may diverge on the conservation of marine biodiversity in Arctic high seas.

Did you come across something unexpected during the research process?

It was interesting that we were able to discuss very openly how differently social sciences are practiced in China and in Finland. In Finland, researchers many times start from a neutral viewpoint as to how their own country has taken action, and freely criticize the country for its conduct from various viewpoints, whereas in China social sciences and legal studies explore opportunities for the country to advance its policy and legal stance.

Overall, Chinese international positions of relevance to the Arctic have proven to be generally uncontroversial and within the mainstream of what is observed in the international community at large. That may be a surprise for those expecting Chinese expansionism to be visible in the Arctic context.

How do you feel now that the project is over? Or is it?

The co-operation continues with various research institutes in China and Finland, for instance via the China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre, to which the Arctic Centre was one of the founding members. In addition, the co-operation with our colleagues in Wuhan University continues. Our research group in Rovaniemi certainly acquired much better understanding of the Chinese ideas about the Arctic and its significance for Arctic governances.

What will your next research topic be? Will you continue comparative research between China and Finland?

Yes, the work continues also in that respect. We are currently interested for instance in the Chinese-Russian political and economic relations as regards the Arctic.

The newly released book, co-edited by Mr. Koivurova, is available for purchase on the publisher’s website.

 

 

Author: Cristina Juola

Book launch on the role of Finland and China in Arctic Law and Governance!

In 2014, the Northern Institute of Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM, Arctic Centre) at the University of Lapland initiated a project to study and compare Arctic Law and Governance in Finland and in China, in cooperation with researchers from Wuhan University, China. The project identified similarities and differences between the positions of Finland (as an EU Member State) and China on Arctic law and governance.

In February 2017, a book titled Arctic Law and Governance: The Role of China and Finland was published as a result of the project. The book compares Finnish and Chinese legal and policy stances in specific policy areas of relevance for the Arctic, including maritime sovereignty, scientific research, marine protected areas, the Svalbard Treaty and Arctic Council co-operation. The book offers general conclusions on Finnish and Chinese approaches to Arctic governance and international law, as well as new theoretical insights on Arctic governance. “As an observer of Arctic Council, China shall play a greater and more responsible role in protecting the Arctic and promoting cooperation with Arctic countries,” Qin Tianbao, main Chinese partner of the Project and editor of the newly published book, concludes.

Mr. Qin is a Luojia Professor of Law, Director of the Research Institute of Environmental Law, Professor of the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies and the European Studies Centre at Wuhan University, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese Journal of Environmental Law. “One of my research fields is Arctic law and policy. Considering the esteemed reputation of our Finnish colleagues and our existing cooperation, we reached agreement to conduct comparative study.” Mr. Qin is planning to continue conducting comparative research between China and Finland in the future as well, in the field of marine environmental issues in the Arctic. “This project was very successful, and we hope to continue such cooperation.”

Timo Koivurova is the Principal Investigator for the project, is a Research Professor and the Director of the Arctic Centre of University of Lapland, Finland. We ask him about the key findings of the project. “China, while a global great power, is not a principle actor in the Arctic region specifically. At the same time, actors like Finland play above (and more than) their global weight in Arctic governance. As a consequence, a variety of Arctic-focused cooperative linkages have been established between small Nordic states and the global great power. China and Finland appear in fact to share a number of perspectives on Arctic affairs, despite asymmetry in country’s positions and different pathways to their interests in the Arctic region and Arctic cooperation. That includes interest in Arctic economic development, consequences of climate change in the Arctic, as well as countries’ Arctic expertise. In terms of political rhetoric, the discourses on economic possibilities and environmental vulnerability are visible in both countries. In turn, China and EU (and Finland) may diverge on the conservation of marine biodiversity in Arctic high seas.”

Mr. Koivurova has specialized in various aspects of international law applicable in the Arctic and Antarctic region. His research work addresses the interplay between different levels of environmental law, legal status of indigenous peoples, law of the sea in the Arctic waters, integrated maritime policy in the EU, the role of law in mitigating/adapting to climate change, the function and role of the Arctic Council in view of its future challenges and the possibilities for an Arctic treaty. He has been involved as an expert in several international processes globally and in the Arctic region and has published on the above-mentioned topics extensively. This newly-published book adds one more to the list. We had a privilege to interview Mr. Koivurova about the highlights and main findings of the project. Read the full interview here.

The book, “Arctic Law and Governance: The Role of China and Finland,” edited by Timo Koivurova, Qin Tianbao, Sébastien Duyck and Tapio Nykänen, is available for purchase on the publisher’s website.

Author: Cristina D. Juola