Chinese Journal of Transnational Law (Vol. 1, Issue 2) was released

We are pleased to announce the publication of the latest issue of the Chinese Journal of Transnational Law (Volume 1, Issue 2, September 2024). The special issue titled “Legalization of Foreign Relations in China” was guest-edited by Professor Congyan Cai.

The full issue is now available with free access for a limited time. You can explore the table of contents and access the articles at this link: Chinese Journal of Transnational Law – Volume 1, Issue 2.

Table of Contents

Special Issue Articles

Legalization of Foreign Relations in China
Zheng Tang and Congyan Cai
pp. 89

Milestone of China’s Foreign-Related Legislation – A Review of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Relations
Huang Huikang
pp. 95

Political Framing in China’s Foreign Relations Law: International Law and ‘Fundamental Norms Governing International Relations’
Malcolm Jorgensen
pp. 117

China’s Foreign State Immunity Law: A View from the United States
William S. Dodge
pp. 137

A Critical Appraisal on China’s Blocking Statutes from a Private Actor’s Perspective
Guiqiang Liu
pp. 154

Original Research Article

A Future Uniform Regime of International Commercial Mediator Immunity: Limited, Party-Agreed and Statute-Required
Meng Lin
pp. 176

Short Article and Recent Development

Reading China’s Global Security Initiative Through an International Legal Lens
Ka Lok Yip
pp. 198

Book Review

Liang Xi, Updated and Augmented by Yang Zewei, Liangxi Guojizuzhifa
Gang Tang
pp. 211

 

Journal of Private International Law 20th Anniversary Conference: Call for Paper Proposals

The following information on the Journal of Private International Law 20th Anniversary Conference, to be held at the Faculty of Laws, University College London, Thursday 11 – Saturday 13 September 2025, has kindly been provided by Ugljesa Grusic.

We are pleased to invite the submission of paper proposals for the conference. Submission is open to anyone regardless of seniority or academic affiliation, including postgraduate students and practitioners, with an expectation that you will produce a paper for submission to the Journal of Private International Law by the end of the 2025 calendar year (with publication subject to the usual peer review process). Proposals are welcome on any topic within the scope of the Journal. A proposal should include an abstract of no more than 500 words, as well as details of the name and affiliation(s) of the author(s).

Read more

Announcement – Save the Date: Conference on Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Asia

Prof. Zheng Sophia Tang will be hosting a hybrid conference on Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Asia at Wuhan University on 23rd November 2024. This conference will be held both in person and online.

Read more

Conference on “Characterisation in the Conflict of Laws” at Oxford, 20–21 March 2025

Information kindly provided by Johannes Ungerer

At the University of Oxford, a conference on ‘Characterisation in the Conflict of Laws’ will be held on 20 and 21 March 2025. It is jointly organised by Dr Johannes Ungerer (University of Oxford and University of Notre Dame in England), Dr Caterina Benini (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan), and PD Dr Felix Berner (University of Tübingen), and is funded by the Institute of European and Comparative Law and the Faculty of Law.

Read more

Call for Papers for Special Issue of the Journal of Sustainable Development and Policy on the theme, “Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Africa”

Editors:

Dr Chukwuma Okoli, Dr Eghosa O. Ekhator, Professor Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm, Professor Ralf Michaels, Hans van Loon

We are excited to invite contributions to The Journal of Sustainable Development and Policy for a special issue focusing on “Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Africa.” This is an area with limited scholarship in Africa, as most research has traditionally emphasized substantive laws, often neglecting the critical role of private international law in sustainable development. Interested researchers should consider themes such as the ones explored in Michaels/Ruiz Abou-Nigm/Van Loon (eds.) (2021): The Private Side of Transforming our World – UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Role of Private International Law. Proposals should emphasise private international law and sustainable development issues that are of particular relevance to the African context. Read more

Bostanji on immunities and international jurisdiction in Tunisian private international law

Droit international privé – Immunités de juridiction et competence internationales des tribunaux tunisiens (Private International Law – Jurisdictional Immunity and International Jurisdiction of Tunisian Courts) is the title of the long-awaited book recently published by Prof. Sami Bostanji, a distinguished Professor at the Faculté de droit et des sciences politiques de Tunis, Director of the DRIMAN research center, and one of the leading private international law scholars in Tunisia. Read more

New Volume of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Journal – Vol. 5 [2024]

The Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA), one of the oldest international arbitration institutions in the world, founded in 1950, has published the 5th Volume of its annual journal on commercial arbitration – the Japan Commercial Arbitration Journal.

The journal features articles on international commercial arbitration, mediation, and litigation related to Japan. These articles are authored by prominent scholars and experienced practitioners who are well-versed in the resolution and prevention of international commercial disputes.

 

The Japan Commercial Arbitration Journal is particularly valuable for non-Japanese readers, including foreign researchers and practitioners, as it provides insights into Japan’s approach to international dispute resolution. By offering comprehensive analysis and updates on arbitration, mediation and litigation practices in Japan, the journal helps bridge the knowledge gap for those working in international commercial law. Access to this information is essential for professionals seeking to understand the nuances of Japanese legal procedures and effectively engage with Japan in cross-border commercial matters.

Read more

The Anglo-French Approaches to Arbitration Conference on 17 October 2024 – King’s College London

By Reef Alfahad,  PhD Candidate at Kings College London

On 17 October 2024, a conference on ‘The Anglo-French Approaches in Arbitration’ will take place at King’s College London (UK). This conference will discuss how the French and English approaches differ when dealing with corruption in arbitration and antisuit injunctions, particularly in light of the recent UK Supreme Court decision in UniCredit v RusChemAlliance.

Read more

Save the Date: Forth Private International Law Workshop in Austria

On 26 and 27 June 2025, Brigitta Lurger, Martina Melcher, Florian Heindler, and Simon Laimer organize the forth edition of the Austrian Private International Law Workshop. This year, it is hosted by the University of Graz, Austria. The organizers aim to facilitate an open and lively discussion on questions of private international law. Presentations will be delivered in German.

Confirmed speakers are Barbara Egglmeier-Schmolke, Burkhard Hess, Martin Lutschounig, Sören Segger-Piening and Bea Verschraegen.

Details can be found on the flyer and here. Participation is free of charge. Please register via ipr-workshop@uni-graz.at.

The 2024 Annual Inter-regional and International Family Law Forum of Chinese Society of Private International Law was held in Guangzhou

(This post was drafted by Zhang Yong, a PhD student in the University of Macau and revised by Guangjian Tu)

The Annual Inter-regional and International Family Law Forum of Chinese Society of Private International Law was held on September 21, 2024 in Everwin Law Office, Guangzhou. Scholars, practitioners and notaries from all over the country working in the field came together to discuss the relevant issues. After the opening ceremony chaired by Prof. Guangjian Tu from the University of Macau, keynote speeches were delivered: 1, Prof. Yong Gan, School of Law of Wuhan University, who is a member of the Expert Group, introduced the progress of the Expert Group’s work on the Parentage/Surrogacy Project in the Hague Conference on Private International Law; 2, Prof. Faqiang Yuan, School of International Law of East China University of Political Science and Law, shared his research article titled “Annual Report on the Development of Rule of Law in the Field of Family Affairs: Domestic and Abroad in 2022-2023″.

In the parallel sessions, participants had heated debates and discussions on new developments in foreign-related family law in the Mainland China, foreign-related and Hong Kong and/or Macao-related marital property relations and agreements, parentage and maintenance support, recognition and enforcement of inter-regional marriage and family judgments, foreign-related and Hong Kong and/or Macao-related inheritance, and jurisdiction over inter-regional family issues etc.

Of course, the Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Civil Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases by the Courts of the Mainland China and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Arrangement) was the focus of this forum. The Arrangement was adopted on 20 June 2017 and came into effect on 15 February 2022. In order to achieve closer and more extensive judicial assistance in the area of marriage and family law between Mainland China and Hong Kong, except for inheritance-related issues, the Arrangement covers a broad range of matters, almost everything in marriage and family laws such as validity of marriage, marital property relationships, parentage, maintenance, adoption etc. This is very different from the Regulations enacted in the European Union, which regulated those issues one by one in a piece-meal approach.