Finnish China Law Center – Page 18 – Your gateway to understanding Chinese law and legal culture

10.2.201710.2.2017

Ambassador Chen Li visited the Center and the Faculty of Law on February 10, 2017.

Ambassador Chen Li and Mme. Qin Sa with Dean Kimmo Nuotio, Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish China Law Center, Maria Linkoaho-Nordling, Helsinki University Project Coordinator and our Research Assistant Cristina Juola.

The Finnish China Law Center gladly welcomed the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Finland, H.E. Mr. Chen Li, to visit the Center and the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki on the 10^th of February.

Director of the Finnish China Law Center Ulla Liukkunen presents the Center’s activities.

Dean Prof. Nuotio introduced the faculty facilities and discussed the activities, new developments and opportunities for study and research at the faculty. Prof. Liukkunen introduced the activities of the Finnish China Law Center, including the collaboration with its Finnish, Nordic and Chinese partners.

Ambassador Chen Li shakes hands with Dean Kimmo Nuotio.

The Ambassador was impressed and delighted to hear about the cooperation between the China Law Center and its Chinese and Nordic partners, and acknowledged the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation. Mr. Chen mentioned the various fields where cooperation has flourished between China, Finland and the Nordics, and was glad to hear about the Center’s role as a platform for cooperation in the sphere of law, not only between China and Finland but also between China and the Nordics as a region, and expressed his support for such collaboration.

Director of the Finnish China Law Center Ulla Liukkunen introduces the Center’s collection to Ambassador Chen Li.

After the meeting, the delegation visited the Helsinki University library and the China Law Center library collection. The Ambassador and his family enjoyed the library facilities and were very pleased to see the book collection on Chinese law and governance acquired by the Center through donations and publications, as well as the vast collection of Chinese books in the Asian Studies department of the library.

The Chinese delegation and our staff enjoyed the beautiful view from Kaisa House’s 7th floor. Ambassador Chen Li is testing Domus chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara.

The visit was very successful. Both sides agreed to keep contact in the future, and recognized the importance of strengthening cooperation.

Author: Cristina D. Juola, photos by Iina Tornberg

9.2.20179.2.2017

“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

9.2.20177.3.2017

Book launch on the role of Finland and China in 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

7.2.201717.2.2017

Lecture on the developments in Chinese criminal law by Prof. Dr. Renwen Liu (CASS) on February 15, 2017.

Welcome to a lecture on the developments in Chinese criminal law!

Globalization and increased inter-connectivity has posed new challenges to state governments across the world. Within the past decades, China has become increasingly emerged into the international arena, and is combating many of the same threats as western societies. Developing legislation against non-traditional threats such as terrorism has been an evolving issue, and many advancements have been made in this field in China as well. Simultaneously, the Chinese government is dealing with domestic concerns such as corruption, as well as international criticism for its procedures in criminal conviction.

To accompany the tremendous pace of China’s economic development, Chinese criminal law has also made leaps to adapt to the increasingly internationalized context. Prof. Dr. Renwen Liu, Director of the Criminal Law Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, will present the developments that have taken place in China’s criminal justice, such as new anti-terrorism and anti-corruption legislation. He will also present the reforms in Chinese death penalty, which have resulted in a significant drop in the number of death sentences in the past two decades.

Kimmo Nuotio, Professor of Criminal Law, and Dean of the University of Helsinki Faculty of Law, will open the event.

The event will be held on Wednesday, February 15, at 14.15-15.45. The location is University of Helsinki, Porthania, room 545.

1.2.20171.12.2017

Interview with Lauri Tammi, China-specialist, business consultant and entrepreneur

Doing business in China is often viewed as something distant, unfamiliar and challenging, demanding one to understand a completely different culture and working habits to achieve success. Yet, it is commonly acknowledged that China’s economic rise provides enormous opportunities for foreign business. Mr. Lauri Tammi, CEO of Slush Beijing 2015, consultant and an active entrepreneur in China, is an inspiring personality who has constantly pushed Sino-Finnish cooperation forward on numerous spheres for over a decade. Mr. Tammi’s perspective offers an encouraging view of what doing business in China might feel like.

Mr. Tammi has a varied and active background on China through study and research, business, and innovation and technology. Before delving into the world of Chinese entrepreneurship, Mr. Tammi has been living the “Chinese dream” by gathering experience in start-ups and companies in China. In 2015, he brought the famous Slush Helsinki to Beijing. He built a team and inspired a group of volunteers to realize the event with very little outside support. He then gained experience as a Community Manager at Nihao, a Chinese service provider and network startup, and as a Health IT Consultant on China for a leading Nordic data management business, AVAINTEC.

With his diverse background, Mr. Tammi has recently commenced with consultancy. His company helps Chinese businesses to internationalize and provides support for Finnish businesses to work with the Chinese. “I had to try different things to know what I really want to do. As I gathered experience, it was time to establish my own business. There is always limits to self-actualization when you are working for somebody else,” he says over a WeChat phone call, an app that is being used not only for instant messaging and phone calls, but also for shopping and payment, ordering a cab, and for public social media – just one example of how overwhelming the internet sector is in China.

But isn’t it difficult to enter the Chinese market as a foreigner? “Finnish people are highly valued and trusted in China. Here I can do things on a much bigger scale than in Finland. I feel that I have a competitive advantage simply by being a Finn,” Mr. Tammi explains. “Finland is a big buzz word in China right now. Finnish people and products are respected here. This in itself gives you a competitive edge.”

However, the complex Chinese environment is very different from the Nordic rules-based society. Certain adaptability is therefore required to grasp the massive opportunities of starting and doing business in China. “Of course, the Chinese culture is more complex and versatile for a person coming from Finland. A flexible attitude and an open mind get you far. You need to be sincerely interested in the culture and the people here. If you do, being a Finn opens many doors.”

Also, there are personal challenges and questions to examine. “As anywhere else, you need to consider your financial and family situation – whether you may plan for long-term living in China, or if you prefer to work from Finland.” With anyone planning a China-related career, especially if it involves living in the country, Mr. Tammi encourages learning Mandarin. “Knowing how to speak the language not only opens new business opportunities, but also improves the quality of everyday life.”

Mr. Tammi encourages all interested in China to take a small risk and experiment with the possibility of working in China. He is confident that China offers a wide range of research and job opportunities in a number of fields. “China is a place where one can realize him or herself. There is so much going on, especially in the tech sector. When doing business, the administrative and the legal aspects are of great importance. There is great potential in Sino-Finnish cooperation in this regard.”

Mr. Tammi and Dean of the Helsinki University Law Faculty, Chair of the Center’s Board, Kimmo Nuotio.

For students interested to learn about Chinese business and law, the Center’s member universities a variety of relevant courses. Dr. Yihong Zhang, Finnish China Law Center, will be offering the following courses at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law, in the coming academic year:

By Cristina D. Juola

27.1.201727.1.2017

Happy Chinese New Year 2017!

Chinese drum dance in Helsinki. Picture taken from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa. The Chinese New Year Event for Children was a side event of Chinese New Year Festival organized by the cities of Helsinki and Beijing. (27.1.2017)

The Finnish China Law Center wishes you a Prosperous and Happy Chinese New Year 2017, the Year of the Rooster!

祝大家在鸡年大吉大利！

身体健康，事业有成！

幸福快乐，万事大吉！

Chinese drum dance from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa (27.1.2017).	Making a rooster ice sculpture on Keskuskatu street. Chinese New Year Festival organized by the cities of Helsinki and Beijing (27.1.2017).	The Chinese Moomins from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa (27.1.2017).
Kungfu from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa (27.1.2017).	Lions from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa (27.1.2017).	Kungfu from the Chinese New Year Event for Children organized by International Cultural Center Caisa (27.1.2017).

10.1.201721.1.2017

Book donation by the Library of Parliament

Donated books and our new research assistant, Cristina Juola.

The Finnish China Law Center’s library received a generous book donation from the Library of Finnish Parliament.

The collection includes books on a wide range of judicial topics, including legal aspects of business, trade, domestic and international affairs as well as history.

The donated books will be made available to the public later this spring once they have been categorized and recorded.

The Center expresses its thanks to the kind personnel of the Library of Parliament.

You can browse all the books of the Finnish China Law Center’s library here. The books are located on the 4th floor in the Kaisa-talo library in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki.

10.1.201720.1.2017

Aalto University partners with Tongji University to start a new college, Shanghai D&I

It is official: Shanghai D&I is launched!

Aalto University and Tongji University have signed an agreement to establish a new college, Shanghai International College of Design and Innovation (Shanghai D&I). This college will start operating in fall 2017.

Shanghai D&I forms a part of the Tongji University, with which Aalto University has closely cooperated for several years. Already in May 2010, the partners joined forces and opened the Aalto-Tongji Design Factory at the Tongji Campus which now operates as Sino-Finnish Center. Tongji University is among China’s 15 best universities and the leading one, for instance, in the field of architecture as well as and urban and regional planning.

Aalto University President Tuula Teeri and Dean Lou Yongqi of Tongji University College of Design and Innovation.

Aalto University and Tongji University have been developing a curriculum based on Aalto’s current high-quality master programmes. These programmes will include International Design Business Management, Creative Sustainability, Collaborative and Industrial Design and Aaltonaut, a multidisciplinary minor subject. Aalto University will produce approximately one-third of Shanghai D&I’s teaching content. Turkka Keinonen, Head of Aalto University Department of Design, notes that the intention is to expand the cooperation later also to research in addition to teaching.

Student Representatives from Tongji and Aalto host the Launch of Shanghai D&I.

According to Tuula Teeri, President of Aalto University the new college will bring along better opportunities for international cooperation for the Aalto University students and staff. The goals of Shanghai D&I are set high. It aspires to become the centre of design and innovation. Professor Lou Yongqi, Dean of Shanghai D&I emphasizes Shanghai’s potential as a laboratory for new models of higher education in the field of design and innovation.

See the news on Aalto University’s website for further information.

27.12.201628.12.2016

Assistant Professor Samuli Seppänen donated his latest book to our library collection

Samuli Seppänen, assistant professor at the Faculty of Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, donated his latest book: “Ideological Conflict and the Rule of Law in Contemporary China” (Cambridge University Press, 2016) to our library collection. We are thankful for this contribution, which will certainly be of great support to students and researchers in understanding rule of law with Chinese characteristics.

Ideological Conflict and the Rule of Law in Contemporary China studies ideological divisions within Chinese legal academia and their relationship to arguments about the rule of law. The book describes argumentative strategies used by Chinese legal scholars to legitimize and subvert China’s state-sanctioned ideology. It also examines Chinese efforts to invent new, alternative rule of law conceptions. In addition to this descriptive project, the book advances a more general argument about the rule of law phenomenon, insisting that many arguments about the rule of law are better understood in terms of their intended and actual effects rather than as analytic propositions or descriptive statements. To illustrate this argument, the book demonstrates that various paradoxical, contradictory and otherwise implausible arguments about the rule of law play an important role in Chinese debates about the rule of law. Paradoxical statements about the rule of law, in particular, can be useful for an ideological project.

14.12.201628.12.2016

Guest lecture on “Policy making for sustainability in China. The role and constraints of institutionalized public participation”

The China Law Center and the University of Helsinki Department of Development Studies jointly organized a guest lecture on “Policy making for sustainability in China. The role and constraints of institutionalized public participation” by Dr Daniele Bombal (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice). The lecture was held on 13 December 2016 and attracted participants from various fields of studies: law, environmental studies, development studies and chinese studies.

Abstract:

Despite retaining a restrictive political environment, in recent years the Chinese Party-State has introduced and strengthened various forms of institutionalized public participation. This trend has been particularly notable in policy areas neglected during the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, more likely to spur dissatisfaction among the Chinese populace.

In parallel with substantial efforts towards a more sustainable path of development, the Chinese leadership has shown a growing awareness over the need to encourage public engagement. Yet, the capacity of China’s institutionalized forms of participation to influence the outcome of policy processes and to promote citizens’ empowerment remains widely debated.

This lecture aims at providing an overview over the current state of affairs in China’s public participation, by focusing on policy areas related to social and environmental sustainability. In the first part of the lecture, different forms of public participation are introduced, providing concrete examples of their utilization. In the second part, a multi-criteria tool developed by researchers at Venice Ca’ Foscari University to evaluate public participation in environmental planning is introduced, and its possible applications are discussed.

16.11.201628.12.2016

Professor Ulla Liukkunen spoke at the 6th Rule of Law Forum in Beijing

Professor Ulla Liukkunen speaking at the Rule of Law Forum (CASS, November 2016).

The Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS Law Institute) held its sixth Rule of Law Forum in Beijing from November 3 to November 5 2016. The theme of this year’s forum is Legal Reform and Rule of Law: a Comparative Perspective. Speakers invited to the forum consist of scholars and judges from China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Germany and Russia. In addition to the opening and closing ceremony, there were 5 panels sessions and 25 talks in total. Topics discussed at the forum focused on the legal reform, legal culture and legal history of different countries. Speakers shared their views and experience on the issues related to the development of legal system in their home countries. Director of the Finnish China Law Center, professor Ulla Liukkunen was invited to speak at the forum.

The forum started with speeches given by prominent Chinese scholars and international scholars. Professor Zhang Wenxian, renowned scholar of Chinese civil law and vice chairman of the China Law Society opened the forum with a speech on the rule of law development in China. Professor César Landa, Universidad Católica Del Perú from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and professor Ulla Liukkunen discussed in their speeches why the rule of law experience in China is relevant to the rest of the world and growing emphasis on comparative law scholarship, respectively. Professor Li Lin, Director of the CASS Law Institute ended the opening ceremony with a speech on recent development of legal reform in China and the growing interest of comparative legal research among Chinese legal scholars and law-makers.

Following the opening ceremony, the forum held five individual panel sessions. During the closing ceremony, professor Simon Evans, professor Tomaz Giaro and professor Mo Jihong gave closing remarks on the importance of comparative legal research and the expansion of CASS law institute’s cooperation with foreign China law research centers.

By Dr. Zhang Yihong