Sino-Nordic Perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative, Sustainable Development and Law: Nordic Center, Fudan University 29 – 30 October 2018

On 29 – 30 October 2018, the Nordic Centre at Fudan University will host the conference Belt & Road Initiative, Sustainable Development and Law: Sino-Nordic Perspectives.

The conference will focus on issues related to the so-called ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a major international development and infrastructure project of the Chinese government and a signature policy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Four themes will be addressed during the conference: (1) The legal and sustainability significance of the BRI (2) National, regional and global dimensions (3) Specific fields of law and sustainability; and (4) Practitioners’ legal perspectives.

The conference is a biannual event initiated by the University of Oslo, which co-organizes the event with Nordic institutions Lund University and the University of Reykjavik, as well as with two Chinese Law Schools (Fudan University and Tsinghua University).

A tentative conference program can be found on the website of the Nordic Center at Fudan University.

Call for papers and key dates

The conference language is English. Selected papers of the conference will be published in English.

The deadline for abstracts (500 words) is 11 June 2018.

The deadline for draft papers (5000 – 10000 words) is 15 September 2018.

Abstracts and draft papers should be sent to Maria Lundberg at the University of Oslo at a.m.c.lundberg (at) nchr.uio.no.

More information

For more information, please contact Maria Lundberg at the University of Oslo on a.m.c.lundberg (at) nchr.uio.no or Magnus Jorem at the Nordic Center, Fudan University on magnus (at) nordiccentre.net.

 

NORDIC CHINA LAW WEEK 2018: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINESE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW

On 18 April 2018, Professor Jin Haijun of Renmin University Law School gave a guest lecture in the University of Helsinki on the ‘Latest Developments in Chinese Intellectual Property Law’.

The event was part of Nordic China Law Week 2018 (17 – 23 April), organized by the Finnish China Law Center and Faculty of Law of the University of Helsinki, with the support of the Confucius Institute and Chinese Studies of the University of Helsinki.

Professor Jin Haijun (Renmin University Law School) delivering a guest lecture on Chinese intellectual property law during Nordic China Law Week 2018 at the University of Helsinki.

The guest lecture was hosted and moderated by Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish China Law Center.

After briefly outlining the historical evolution of intellectual property (IP) law in China, Professor Jin discussed a number of leading cases and disputes, including Michael Jordan v. China TRAB and Qiaodan Sports Co., Ltd and Xian Xidian Jietong Wireless Communication Co., Ltd (IWNComm) v SONY mobile communication products (China) Co. Ltd. (Beijing Intellectual Property Court, 22 March 2017).

Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish China Law Center, introduced guest speaker Professor Jin Haijun (Renmin University) at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki on 18 April 2018

Professor Jin also explored recent reforms of Chinese IP law, including: specialized IP Courts in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou (2014); over 20 other IP tribunals around China; a piloted guiding case system in the Beijing IP Court (in practice reflecting the principle of precedent and stare decisis in common law jurisdictions); and the possibility of a uniform appellate IP court.

Reforms of IP administrative authorities in China have also been undertaken within the broader context of significant adjustments of central state institutions and functions in March 2018. Responsibility for patent, trademark and geographical indication matters lies with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The Chinese Copyright Office is under the Publicity Department of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Administrative enforcement of IP cases is now under the responsibility of State Administration of Market Supervision and Management.

Professor Jin Haijun (Renmin University) discussing changes made to China’s administration of IP law in March 2018 during Nordic China Law Week 2018 (17 – 23 April) in Helsinki, Finland

During his presentation and subsequent group discussion, Professor Jin drew upon his background in private practice, his LL.M degrees and doctorate in law. Professor Jin has also worked in a variety of foreign institutions, including as a visiting professor at the University of Frankfurt am Main and the University of Washington, and as a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School and the Max-Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law in Munich.

Professor Jin also presented on Chinese IP law and private law theory during the China Law Research Workshop, held at the University of Helsinki on 19 April 2018.

This guest lecture was one of many events organized during Nordic China Law Week 2018 (17 – 23 April). Other events included:

Tuesday 17 April: Trade Governance of the Belt and Road Initiative: Economic Logic and Institutional Arrangements

Wednesday 18 April: How Important is China’s Constitution in the Chinese Legal System?

Thursday 19 April: China Law Research Workshop

Friday 20 April: Nordic China Law Scholars Meeting

Monday 23 April: Information Session on Online Chinese Legal Research

Monday 23 April: Seminar: What People Management Practices Work Best in China Today? Cultural and Legal Perspectives

Finnish China Law Center to hold China Law Research Workshop for Researchers, Practitioners and Students: Thursday 19 April 2018

As part of Nordic China Law Week 2018, the Finnish China Law Center is organizing a China Law Research Workshop to be held on Thursday 19 April 2018 at the University of Helsinki, Finland, one of the Finnish China Law Center’s 10 member institutions.

The Workshop will provide an overview of how to approach Chinese legal research and comparative law research involving China.

The event will be of benefit to students, researchers and practitioners who are interested in Chinese law and the Chinese legal system, and provide an excellent opportunity for participants to meet and network with others who are working with, or interested in, Chinese law and legal culture.

This is the second time the Finnish China Law Center has held a China Law Research Workshop, which is being co-organized with the Faculty of Law and Confucius Institute of the University of Helsinki.

Moderator and Speakers

Professor and judge Alan C. Neal will moderate the event, which will be opened by the Director of the Finnish China Law Center, Professor Ulla Liukkunen.

Professor Alan Neal (Photo credit: Leiden University)

Professor Neal will be joined by scholars from the Nordic region and China. Visiting scholars from China include Professor Jin Haijun (Renmin University)Professor Yan Dong (Beijing Foreign Studies University) and Associate Professor Yan Tian (Peking University).

Registration

Please register by close of business Monday 16 April through the following electronic registration form:

https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/87422/lomake.html

Workshop Program 

Venue: Small Hall, Fourth Floor of the Main Building of the University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 33

08:30 – 09:00  Registration and coffee

09:00 – 09:15  Welcome to the workshop

Introduction to the Workshop and Some Thoughts on China Law Research: Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture (University of Helsinki)

09:15 – 10:45  Session 1. Background: China and Chinese Law in Context

Session moderator: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

Discovering ‘China’: An Overview: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

Sources of Chinese Law: Professor Yan Dong (Beijing Foreign Studies University)

Nordic Reflections on Chinese Culture, the Rule of Law and Judicial Reform with Chinese Characteristics: Professor Ditlev Tamm (University of Copenhagen)

10:45 – 11:00  Morning tea/coffee

11:00 – 12:30  Session 2. Theoretical Perspectives: Historical and Comparative Approaches to Chinese Law and Legal Culture 

Session moderator: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

Culture and Contemporary China: Professor Julie Yu-Wen Chen, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of Confucius Institute at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki

Intersections of Economics, Business and the Law in China: Implications for Legal Research: Professor Matti Nojonen (University of Lapland)

Taking Account of History When Researching Contemporary Law: Professor Pia Letto-Vanamo, Dean of the Faculty of Law (University of Helsinki)

12:30 – 13:45  Lunch

13:45 – 15:15  Session 3. Institutions and Actors: Contextualizing Law in China (parallel session)

Venue: Small Hall, Fourth Floor of the Main Building of the University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 33

Session moderator: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

The Chinese Legal System in an International Context: Professor Yan Dong (Beijing Foreign Studies University)

Gendered Choices in Structures of Law and Gender: Theoretical Considerations When Undertaking Comparative and Chinese Law Research: Minna Canth Academy Professor Johanna Niemi (University of Turku) and Doctoral Researcher Pia Eskelinen (University of Turku)

Legal Institutions: Judicial and Administrative Decision-Making in China: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

13:45 – 15:15  Session 4. Current ‘Hot’ Topics in Chinese Private Law (parallel session)

Venue: Auditorium XII, Third Floor of the Main Building of the University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 34

Session moderator: Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture (University of Helsinki)

How to Approach Chinese IP Law and Private Law Theory: Professor Jin Haijun (Renmin University)

How to Approach Chinese Labour Law and Industrial Relations: Assistant Professor Yan Tian (Peking University)

How to Approach the Chinese Company Law Regime: Dr Yihong Zhang (University of Helsinki)

15:15 – 15:30  Afternoon coffee/tea

15:30 – 16:30  Panel Discussion: Practicalities of China Law Teaching and Research

Venue: Small Hall, Fourth Floor of the Main Building of the University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 33

Session moderator: Professor Alan C. Neal (University of Warwick)

Professor Jukka Viljanen (University of Tampere)
Dr Harriet Lonka (University of Eastern Finland)
Dr Wei Lu (Aalto University)
Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaca (University of Helsinki)

16:30 End of Workshop

18:00 Official Reception hosted by Professor Pia Letto-Vanamo, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki

Venue: Faculty of Law Teachers’ Lounge, Second Floor of the Porthania Building (Yliopistonkatu 3)

Other Events During Nordic China Law Week 2018 

The Workshop is just one of many exciting events being organized as part of Nordic China Law Week 2018 (17 – 23 April 2018).

Tuesday 17 April: Trade Governance of the Belt and Road Initiative: Economic Logic and Institutional Arrangements

Wednesday 18 April: Latest Developments in Chinese Intellectual Property Law

Wednesday 18 April: How Important is China’s Constitution in the Chinese Legal System?

Friday 20 April: First Nordic China Law Scholars Meeting

Monday 23 April: Seminar: What People Management Practices Work Best in China Today? Cultural and Legal Perspectives

Further Information and Media Inquiries

Questions about the Workshop from interested participants and the media can be directed to the Coordinator of the Finnish China Law Center, Stuart Mooney, at stuart.mooney (at) helsinki.fi.

Logo of the University of Helsinki, the Law Faculty of which co-organized the China Law Research Workshop.
Logo of the Confucius Institute of the University of Helsinki, co-organizer of the China Law Research Workshop.

Trade Governance of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative: 17 April 2018

As part of Nordic China Law Week 2018, the Finnish China Law Center and Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki cordially extend an invitation to a short-form seminar on:

Trade Governance of China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Economic Logic and Institutional Arrangements

Date and time: 14:15 – 15:45 on Tuesday 17 April 2018

Venue: Meeting Room of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, Room 545 on the 5th floor of the Porthania Building (Yliopistonkatu 3, Helsinki).

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Cheng Dawei of the Renmin University School of Economics.

The Renmin University School of Economics has been consistently ranked by the Chinese Ministry of Education as the best university in China in both theoretical and applied economics.

Professor Cheng will cover issues including the economic logic of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) Initiative, value choices of its trade governance and the OBOR Initiative’s institutional and legal arrangements. She will also look at what the future holds for this huge infrastructure project, a signature project of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The event will be moderated by Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça of the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki. It is free to attend, open to the public, and no prior registration is required. The event will be in English.

The event is being organized with the support of the University of Helsinki Chinese Studies and Confucius Institute at the University of Helsinki.

About the speakers

Professor Cheng is Dean of the International Business Program at the Renmin University School of Economics. She is the author of seven books, including Belt and Road Initiative China’s Trade Governance and Policy (Routledge, forthcoming May 2018), and many articles. Professor Cheng’s teaching and research interests include commercial diplomacy, international trade, China’s foreign economic and trade relations, and E-Business.

Professor Cheng Dawei, Dean of the International Business Program at the Renmin University School of Economics

 

Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki and holds affiliated memberships at the University of Lisbon and The Collaborative Innovation Centre For Silk Road Economic Belt Studies” (CIC-SREBS), Xi’an Jiaotong University. His previous roles include Lecturer in Law (tenure-track) in China at Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Law.

Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça, Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki

Further information and media inquiries

Please direct questions about the event to the Coordinator of the Finnish China Law Center, Stuart Mooney, at stuart.mooney (at) helsinki.fi.

Kone-Fudan Nordic Centre Scholarships

The Kone Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation with a mission to make the world a better place by advancing initiatives in research and the arts, offered two 4 to 6 month-long scholarships to conduct research in China. The cut-off to apply for those scholarship was 28 March 2018.

Office space for scholarship awardees will be provided by the Fudan Nordic Centre in Shanghai, a joint-venture between Fudan University and universities from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The Fudan Nordic Center holds the annual Sino-Finnish Days, which have contributed to the growing number of legal research and education activities between China and the Nordic countries.

The Finnish member universities of the Fudan Nordic Center are the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, Hanken School of Economics, the University of Lapland, the University of Tampere and the University of Turku. All of these universities are also member institutions of the Finnish Center of Chinese Law.

The scholarship program is intended to support and expand China-related research conducted in the Finnish universities. The aim is to stimulate researchers to expand their research focus towards research connected with China and to facilitate longer research periods in China. When possible and relevant, doctoral candidates can attend teaching offered by the Fudan Nordic Centre.

Further information and application process

More information about the scholarships, including the full Call for Applications and instructions on how to apply, can be found on Asianet’s website.

 

Logo of the Nordic Center, Fudan University, China

Working as Visiting Researcher in Leading Chinese University Gives Fresh Perspectives on China-Africa Relations, Global Governance and International Law

Dr Obert Hodzi, a postdoctoral researcher and Sino-Africa relations scholar in the University of Helsinki, recently returned from a six-week stint as a Visiting Scholar in Renmin University, China. Renmin University is a key partner of the Finnish China Law Center. The strong links between the Center’s 10 member institutions, including the University of Helsinki, and Renmin University are detailed in the Report recently published by the Center.

Upon his return, the Finnish China Law Center took the opportunity to discuss with Dr Hodzi his experience as Visiting Scholar at one of China’s best universities, and to learn more about his current research into Chinese politics and law.

Finnish China Law Center: Congratulations on your appointment as a Visiting Scholar at Renmin University. Before we discuss that experience, could you please say a little about your background?

Dr Hodzi: I’m a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki. Before joining the University of Helsinki, I was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Ethiopia. I have also worked for various international and regional organizations in my home country of Zimbabwe, as well as Kenya and Germany on projects about democratic governance and transitional justice.

Finnish China Law Center: Can you explain your main research interests?

Dr Hodzi: I’ve long had an interest in China’s international political and legal engagement, including in relation to Africa. I obtained my PhD from a Chinese university, Lingnan University in Hong Kong, where I researched political and legal aspects of China’s military engagement in Africa. My current research focuses on emerging powers and global governance. In particular, I look at China-Africa security relations and politics in Africa, including the domestic and legal implications of China’s engagement.

Finnish China Law Center: How was your research assisted by working as a Visiting Scholar in China?

Dr Hodzi: Having lived and worked and lived in both China and different Africa has given me a more nuanced understanding of the different political and legal cultures and orders at play across China and throughout Africa. I’ve come to appreciate that reading, discussing and researching about China is nothing compared to seeing it in real life! This certainly was my realization during my research in mainland China. Being able to discuss with scholars, practitioners and other relevant actors in China – both Chinese and from other countries – enriched my research and has opened new avenues of future collaboration for which I am very grateful.

Finnish China Law Center: The Finnish China Law Center recently co-organized the annual China Research Day and Asian Studies Days. The theme of both events was US-Sino relations and the consequences for Asian security. How does your own research bear on this issue, including from the perspective of international law?

Dr Hodzi: This theme is timely and important, and it connects directly with my current and future work. Over the next two years my research focus will be on the Chinese model of development and governance in Asia and Africa. As China gets comfortable in its global primacy role, all roads are leading to Beijing. In the jostling for a piece of the China cake, there is obviously bound to be conflict and contractions regarding international law. For instance, this is seen in the case of the South China Sea dispute, as was discussed during the China Research Day and Asian Studies Days events, as well as anti-dumping measures against Chinese companies. I would also say that security issues will become even more important for both China and other countries as Chinese firms and citizens go abroad.

Dr Hodzi, Visiting Scholar at Renmin University, with a friend outside the Forbidden City, Beijing, September 2017

Finnish China Law Center: You are helping organize a Conference on the so-called ‘Chinese model’ of governance next year. What thematic ground will be conference cover, and why is the conference important?

Dr Hodzi: The Confucius Center at the University of Helsinki is organizing the Helsinki Conference on Chinese Model of Governance. It will be held on 20 March 2018. During the conference, scholars from Finland and abroad will re-visit discussions of the Chinese model of governance. The old and new features of President Xi’s model of governance will be discussed at length. The conference is important because the bulk of contemporary scholarship on the ‘China model’ questions whether such a model even exists. And even those who acknowledge the existence of such a model debate its characteristics. In light of this ongoing debate, the conference will discuss the various manifestations of the Chinese model of governance. These manifestations range from local governance, local election, civil society to economic policies. A particular strength of the conference will be its interdisciplinary nature, using a variety of perspectives such as critical empirical case studies. I’m already excited about it! We have great keynote speakers, too: Oscar Almén, Uppsala University, Sweden, and Zhongyuan Wang from Fudan University, China.

Finnish China Law Center: Finally, we understand that your book will be published shortly. Congratulations, and could you please say a little about it?

Dr Hodzi: My book, The End of a Non-intervention Era: China in African Civil Wars, will be published by Palgrave Macmillan (London) next year (fall 2018). I hope that it will help set the research agenda on emerging security issues emanating from China’s going out strategy. China is moving, and taking the world with it!

More on Dr Hodzi’s academic work can be found in his University of Helsinki Tuhat page.