This volume addresses the role of the judge and the parties in civil litigation in mainland China, Hong Kong and various European jurisdictions. It provides an overview and an analysis of how these respective roles have been changed in order to cope with growing caseloads and quality demands. It also shows the different approaches chosen in the jurisdictions covered. Mainland China is introducing far-reaching reforms in its system of civil litigation. From an inquisitorial procedure, in which the parties play a relatively minor role, the country is changing to a more adversarial system with increased powers for the parties. At the same time, case management and the role of the judge as it is understood in mainland China remains different from case management and the role of the judge in Western countries, mainly as regards the limited powers of individual Chinese judges in this respect. Changes in China are justified by the ever-increasing case load of the Chinese courts and the consequent inability to deal with cases in an adequate manner, even though generally speaking Chinese courts still adjudicate civil cases within a relatively short time frame (this may, however, be problematic when viewed from the perspective of the quality of adjudication). Growing caseloads and quality concerns may also be observed in various European states and Hong Kong. In these jurisdictions the civil procedural systems have a relatively adversarial character and it is some of the adversarial features of the existing systems of procedure which are felt to be problematic. Therefore, the lawmakers have opted for increasing the powers of the judge, often making the judge and the parties mutually responsible for the proper conduct of civil cases. Starting from opposite directions, mainland China and the various European states and Hong Kong could meet half way in their reform attempts. This is, however, only possible if a proper understanding is fostered of the developments in these different parts of the World. Even though in both China and Europe the academic community and lawmakers are showing a keen interest in the relevant developments abroad, a study addressing the role of the judge and the parties in civil litigation in both China and Europe is still missing. This book aims to fill this gap in the existing literature.

This book brings together articles from leading experts in the field of international dispute resolution. The main focus is on the situation in Asia, though the European perspective also plays an important part. Accordingly, the focus on the Asian dispute resolution market with a distinctly American and European “touch” is one of the book’s most unique features. The dispute resolution market is rapidly transforming, and dispute resolution law is changing with it –especially in Asia. This book highlights recent advances and outlines future trends in this area. Emphasis is especially placed on International Commercial Arbitration Law on the one hand; and on International Investment Arbitration Law on the other. Two dedicated sections address these two topics, while another is dedicated to a quite new phenomenon in the field of international dispute resolution, the emergence of International Commercial Courts not only in Asia, but also in other regions of the world (e.g. in the Netherlands). This raises a host of interesting legal questions, which the book addresses. The book’s final section investigates general trends in dispute resolution (e.g. the rising cost problem in arbitration in general).

The concept of the One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) was raised by the President of the People’s Republic of China in October 2013. The OBOR comprises the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ and the ‘21st Century Maritime Silk Road’, encompassing over 60 countries from Asia to Europe via Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, and the Middle East. The overall objective of the OBOR is to encourage the economic prosperity of the countries along the Belt and Road and regional economic cooperation, encourage mutual learning between different civilizations, and promoting peace and development. However, countries along the Belt and Road routes of the OBOR project have diverse laws and legal systems. It is not difficult to envisage problems relating to harmonisation of laws and rules in trade between countries along the OBOR routes or otherwise. These problems can potentially cut through the core of the very objective of the OBOR itself. Integration in China’s One Belt One Road Initiative explores possible challenges to the success of the OBOR arising from the situational interface of diversity of laws, with the focus primarily on issues associated with private international law. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students interested in private international law issues pertaining to the OBOR routes as well as private international law in general, Asian studies, and the politics of international trade.

Currently, China is drafting its new Civil Code. Against this background, the Chinese legal community has shown a growing interest in various legal and legislative ideas from around the world. Within this context, the present book aims at providing the necessary historical and comparative legal perspectives. It concentrates on substantive private law and civil procedure, both in China and in other jurisdictions. These perspectives are of considerable importance for the present codification work. Additionally, the book is dedicated to commemorating the centennial of the first Western-influenced and civil law-oriented Civil Code of China, the Da Qing Min Lü Cao An of 1911. The following topics are addressed: property law, contract law, tort law and civil procedure. The book also contains contributions on codification experiences in Europe and on the concept of codification in general. The topics are discussed by leading Chinese and international scholars. Most of the Chinese contributors have taken part in preparing the Chinese Draft Civil Code. The book is the outcome of a conference organized by the Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law (RCCL), School of Law, City University of Hong Kong, in October 2010.

This book aims to investigate the way in which personality rights are protected in China through a comparative and cross-cultural lens drawing on perspectives from Europe and elsewhere in the world. Currently, the question whether or not to incorporate a special law on personal rights – the right to life, the right to health, and the rights to reputation and privacy – into a future Chinese Civil Code is heatedly debated in the Chinese legal community. The essential topics that are addressed in this book include general issues of personality rights, personality rights in Constitutional law, personality rights in private law, the legislative development of personality rights in China, case studies of the right to privacy, personality rights in the mass media and the internet, competition law aspects of the right of publicity, the protection of patients’ personal information, and personality rights in the family context. The book offers a broad investigation of personality rights protection in both China and Europe and provides the first substantive comparison of the Chinese and European regimes. The project is conceived as a joint effort on the part of a carefully chosen team of Chinese and European academics, working closely together. The team consists of both senior scholars and young researchers led by well-known experts in the field of comparative tort law.

Administrative litigation systems are a rapidly developing legal field in many countries. This book provides a comparative study of the administrative litigation systems in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, as well as a number of selected European countries that covers both states with an advanced rule of law and new democracies. Despite the different historical backgrounds and the broader context which has cultivated each individual system, this collective work illustrates the common characteristics of the rapid development of administrative litigation systems since the 1990s as a consequence of the advancement of the rule of law at a global level. All of the contributors have addressed a wide array of key issues in their particular jurisdiction, including court jurisdiction, the scope of judicial review, grounds of litigation claims and mediation in judicial process. Whilst pointing out the shortcomings and challenges which are faced by each jurisdiction, the book offers both ideas and inspiration on how the systems can learn from, and influence each other. This book is essential reading for those studying Chinese law, administrative litigation and comparative law, as well as judges and lawyers specialising in administrative litigation, and administrative courts.

Understanding and exercising the right to freedom of association, in a modern sense, is a relatively new phenomenon in China. The reform of ‘old’ social organizations and the emergence of new, privately-initiated, non-profit organizations only began to occur in the 1980s, and such organizations continued to expand throughout the 1990s. Within a short period these new organizations have become a vibrant force in Chinese society. This unique volume – the first book in English to offer systematic and critical research in this field - is the outcome of a three-year research project on the Legal Aspects of Social Organisations in China. The main aim of the project was to encourage Chinese researchers to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the current status of social organizations in China, and to allow them to explore possible ways of creating a friendly legal environment conducive to the exercise of the right to freedom of association. The book contains some of the best results of the Chinese researchers’ work and papers presented by European experts at two international seminars, organized jointly by the Institute of Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Law Faculty of Utrecht University, The Netherlands. The contributions of the European experts explore different systems of regulation that have developed, and which are accommodated within the legal framework and traditions of each particular country. The aim of the volume is to stimulate international understanding of the progress made by China and the dilemmas it still faces with respect to its emerging new civil society organizations.