NYU Shanghai Hosts Global Voices on Foreign-related Rule of Law

The “Foreign-related Rule of Law” Workshop was held at NYU Shanghai from April 10 to 12. Co-hosted by NYU Shanghai and the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU School of Law, the two-day international event brought together leading legal scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange perspectives on China's evolving engagement with global legal norms. The workshop focused on current challenges and institutional innovations in the field of foreign-related rule of law. In her opening remarks, Maria Adele Carrai, Assistant Professor of Global China Studies at NYU Shanghai, welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of scholarly engagement with global legal norms amid increasing geopolitical complexity. Katherine Wilhelm, Executive Director of USALI, welcomed attendees and highlighted the importance of international dialogue in the legal sphere. Engaging Key Issues: Sanctions, Legal Soft Power, and Extraterritoriality The first panel, moderated by Professor Zhuo Yang from East China University of Political Science and Law, focused on sanctions and economic jurisdiction. Speakers explored topics such as the WTO challenges posed by reciprocal tariffs, the role of financial infrastructure in sanctions, and state responses to investment arbitration. Presenters included Hongliu Gong (UIBE), Kangle Zhang (PKU), Knut Benjamin Pißler (Nanjing University) and Jeanne Huang (University of Sydney). Discussions underscored the legal dilemmas facing global institutions like the WTO and the growing intersection between law and statecraft. The following session examined how China is shaping new legal narratives and building institutions to advance its global objectives. Professor Susan Finder (PKU) began with a presentation on the role of the Supreme People’s Court in developing foreign-related rule of law. She was followed by Professor Jianyu Wang (City University of Hong Kong), who discussed China’s influence on international trade law. Professor Qingjiang Kong (China University of Political Science and Law) provided a broader perspective on the country’s evolving legal discourse in the “new era,” and Professor Jing Leng (East China University of Political Science and Law) highlighted legal diplomacy and talent cultivation as instruments of China’s international legal strategy. The afternoon panel turned to questions of legal boundaries and China’s territorial claims. Professor Jacques Delisle (University of Pennsylvania) offered a critical perspective on the scope of Chinese legal authority and the contested definition of “foreign.” Zhen Chen (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law) contributed with a presentation on the repatriation of cultural artifacts and China’s approach to global security, expanding the conversation to encompass cultural and strategic dimensions of China’s legal engagement. Reflecting on Global Legal Futures Across the sessions, speakers advanced diverse frameworks for analyzing legal soft power and international legal pluralism. Samuli Seppänen (Chinese University of Hong Kong) offered a conceptual approach to assessing China’s legal influence globally. Ka Lok Yip (Hamad Bin Khalifa University) explored the intersections between international law and global security dynamics. Malcolm Jorgensen (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law) presented on China’s Foreign Relations Law, examining its articulation of multipolarity and the invocation of “fundamental norms governing international relations” as a basis for China’s legal positioning on the world stage. The event concluded with informal conversations and a closing reception, leaving participants energized by the depth of discussion and potential for future collaboration. As part of the program, participants also visited the Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People’s Court the day before, gaining firsthand exposure to judicial practice and reform in China. With robust academic exchange and cross-border participation, the “Foreign-related Rule of Law” workshop marked an important step in fostering a deeper understanding of international law through a global and Chinese lens.