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 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.
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 XidianJietong Wireless Communication Co., Ltd (IWNComm) v SONY mobile communication products (China) Co. Ltd. (Beijing Intellectual Property Court, 22 March 2017).
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.
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:
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça isa 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 aPostdoctoral 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.
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.
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!