Hong Kong’s Land Leases & Asia’s Prosperity and Stability

Images: Jean Beaufort, Travel Poster;
Yinan Chen, Hong Kong City Buildings (Publicdomainpictures.net)

7月初,香港一项新法例将这座前英国管治的城市近400份的土地租契续期50年,这些租契的有效期因而跨越2047年6月30日——一个关键日期,因其标志着香港自1997年回归中国以来所实行经北京批准的治理体系可能终结。更多的土地租契将以同样的方式续期。如果此具有广泛影响的租契续期问题得到妥善处理,北京将能够为香港乃至亚洲的繁荣与稳定做出重大贡献。Read more

Hong Kong’s Land Leases & Asia’s Prosperity and Stability

Images: Jean Beaufort, Travel Poster;
Yinan Chen, Hong Kong City Buildings (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In early July, a new Hong Kong law extended nearly 400 land leases in the formerly British-governed city for another 50 years, making the leases go beyond June 30, 2047—the critical date marking the potential expiry of the Beijing-approved governance system operating in the city since its handover to China in 1997. More leases are expected to be extended in the same manner. If the extension of these leases—which has broad implications—is handled well, Beijing will be able to significantly contribute to the prosperity and stability of not only Hong Kong, but also Asia.Read more

China’s Promotion of Case-Based Legal Reasoning in the BRICS

Images: George Hodan, Judge Gavel;
Maliz Ong, Black and White Brick Wall (Publicdomainpictures.net)

2018年,我与两位作者合著了一篇题为《案例文化在中国内外的传播》。我们分析了当时中国最高人民法院已发布的 96 个指导性案例(即:事实上具有约束力的案例)是如何在全国各地法院判决的 1,281 起后续案件中被引用的。我们得出了此结论:“指导性案例的初步成功似乎为中国案例文化的传播提供了肥沃的土壤,而鉴于中国渴望增加其在世界各地的影响,中国案例文化可能有机会在其他地方传播。6月中旬,一个机会出现了,让中国可以在金砖国家推广以案例为基础的法律推理文化。Read more

China’s Promotion of Case-Based Legal Reasoning in the BRICS

Images: George Hodan, Judge Gavel;
Maliz Ong, Black and White Brick Wall (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In 2018, I co-authored an article titled Propagation of a Case Culture in China and Potentially Beyond.  Based on an analysis of how 96 Guiding Cases, de facto binding cases released by China’s Supreme People’s Court available at the time, had been referenced in 1,281 subsequent cases decided by courts across the country, my co-authors and I drew this conclusion: “the preliminary success of [Guiding Cases] seems to have provided fertile ground for the propagation of a case culture in China and, given the country’s eagerness to increase its presence around the world, this culture may have a chance to be propagated elsewhere.”  Just such an opportunity for China to propagate a culture of applying case-based legal reasoning in the BRICS arose in mid-June.Read more

India’s Election Results & Central China’s “Accelerated Rise”

Images: Gerd Altmann, Colorful India;
Peter Griffin, Afternoon Lunch (Publicdomainpictures.net)

印度总理莫迪领导的印度人民党未能在议会下院获得多数席位,也未能在传统上支持该党的邦维持其受欢迎程度,这一失败的一个重要教训是,印度迫切需要解决经济不平等问题。莫迪总理面临越来越大的压力,他必须在第三任期内向那些尚未从印度进步中受益的人们实现强劲的经济表现。中国也面临着类似的挑战。该国领导层正在推出旨在支持中部地区“加快崛起”的新措施。鉴于印度与中国的竞争日益激烈,中国如何实现这一目标应会引起印度及其盟友的强烈关注。Read more

India’s Election Results & Central China’s “Accelerated Rise”

Images: Gerd Altmann, Colorful India;
Peter Griffin, Afternoon Lunch (Publicdomainpictures.net)

A key lesson from the failure of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (“BJP”) to secure a majority in the lower house of India’s parliament and to sustain its popularity in traditionally pro-BJP states is the pressing need to solve the issue of economic inequality in India. Mr. Modi faces mounting pressure to deliver during his third term as India’s Prime Minister a strong economic performance to those who have not yet benefited from India’s progress. Similar challenges are being faced by Chinese leaders, who are rolling out new measures aimed at supporting the “accelerated rise” of Central China. Given India’s growing competition with China, how China plans to accomplish this goal should be of significant interest to India and its allies.Read more

WeRide Zooms into the Global Autonomous Vehicle Industry

Image: Petr Kratochvil, Busy Road Light Trails (Publicomainpictures.net)

比亚迪宣布获得在中国高速道路上测试3级(即“有条件自动化”)自动驾驶的牌照后,该公司进军自动驾驶车辆行业的雄心已然清晰。然而,比亚迪在这个行业的成功之路不太可能一帆风顺,这是由于来自具有深厚行业基础的先行者文远知行的竞争。文远知行的技术已达到4级(即“高度驾驶自动化”),故多项创新产品已投入运营,其中包括自动驾驶出租车(Robotaxis)、自动驾驶小巴(Robobuses)和自动驾驶货运车(Robovans)。什么因素促使文远知行的成功?凭借她研究中国企业尤其是中国科技企业的丰富经验,以及她与熟悉中国自动驾驶车辆行业的专家的会面,刘琳在本文中分享了她的分析。Read more

WeRide Zooms into the Global Autonomous Vehicle Industry

Image: Petr Kratochvil, Busy Road Light Trails (Publicomainpictures.net)

After BYD announced that it has licenses to test Level-3 (i.e., “conditional automation”) autonomous driving on high-speed roads in China, the company’s ambition to move into the autonomous vehicle industry has become clear. However, BYD’s path to success in this industry is unlikely to be smooth because of competition from WeRide, a forerunner with a strong foundation in the industry. Equipped with Level-4 (i.e., “high driving automation”) technology, WeRide has put into operation multiple innovative products, including Robotaxis, Robobuses, and Robovans. What factors contribute to WeRide’s success? Drawing on her extensive experiences in studying Chinese companies, especially those in the technology industry, and her meetings with specialists who are familiar with the autonomous vehicle industry in China, Lin Liu shares her analysis in this article.Read more

Tesla, Data Transfers, & China’s Digital Economy

Image: Gerd Altmann, Binary Contacts (Publicdomainpictures.net)

5月中旬,上海自由贸易区(“自贸区”)临港新片区发布试行措施,允许该片区符合条件的企业(所用标准意味着特斯拉具备资格)输出某些数据时无需经过中国复杂的审批流程。5月初,天津自贸区也采取了类似措施,预计中国其他自贸区也会效仿。这些措施对在华外国投资者非常有利。然而,发布这些措施的根本目标不仅是增加中国国内的外商投资,而是落实中国在全球发展数字经济的计划。Read more

Tesla, Data Transfers, & China’s Digital Economy

Image: Gerd Altmann, Binary Contacts (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In mid-May, the Lin-Gang Area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (“FTZ”) issued trial measures to allow eligible companies in the area—criteria used suggest that Tesla is eligible—to export certain data without going through China’s complicated approval system. Similar measures were adopted by Tianjin’s FTZ in early May, while other FTZs in China are expected to follow suit. These measures can benefit foreign investors in China significantly. Yet, the fundamental goal of their issuance is not a mere increase in domestic foreign investment, but rather the implementation of China’s plan to develop its digital economy globally.Read more

The Moon, Artificial Intelligence, & U.S.-China Relations

Image: Irina Pechkareva, A Space with the Moon (Publicdomainpictures.net)

尽管中国被美国排除在该国的太空项目之外,但中国正在进行的从月球背面收集岩石和土壤的任务标志着中国太空探索的另一个里程碑。这一成就应该让美国政策制定者思考,采取类似的排除做法是否会有助或损害美国为了在中美人工智能竞赛中确保领先地位而付出的努力。更重要的是,鉴于人工智能操纵的潜在灾难性后果,我们需要一种更好的做法,专注于在全球范围内创造利益,而不是让情况演变成两个国际大国之间简单的输赢竞赛。Read more

The Moon, Artificial Intelligence, & U.S.-China Relations

Image: Irina Pechkareva, A Space with the Moon (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s ongoing mission to collect rocks and soil from the far side of the Moon marks another milestone in the country’s space exploration despite its exclusion from U.S. space projects. This accomplishment should make U.S. policymakers ponder whether adopting a similar exclusionary approach will help or hurt the United States’s efforts to secure the lead in the U.S.-China AI race. More importantly, the potential catastrophic consequences of AI manipulation demand a better approach that focuses on generating benefits at a global level, rather than devolving into a simple win-lose race between two international powers.Read more

China’s Courts Give NEW Guidelines on Capital Markets Some Teeth

Image: Gerd Altmann, Business (Publicdomainpictures.net)

美国众议院监督和问责委员会正在调查美国上市公司会计监督委员会是否“被赋予权力以确保其对[中国]公司的审计师进行有意义的监督”。委员会应欢迎中国国务院最近发布的一份文件,该文件旨在通过加强信息披露等措施来改善中国资本市场。有趣的是,中国最高人民法院已经采取了措施,而如果全国法院都一致遵循这些措施,就可以壮大该文件的力量。Read more

China’s Courts Give NEW Guidelines on Capital Markets Some Teeth

Image: Gerd Altmann, Business (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating whether the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is “empowered to ensure meaningful oversight of auditors of [China]-based firms”. The Committee should welcome a document recently released by China’s State Council that aims at improving the country’s capital markets by strengthening information disclosure, among other measures. Interestingly, the Supreme People’s Court of China has taken steps that, if followed consistently by all courts in the country, can empower this document.Read more

China’s Policy for Central Asia: Lessons from Southeast Asia & More

Image: Svetlana Tikhonova, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Publicdomainpictures.net)

近期成立的中国—中亚机制秘书处,是中国与哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦向“全方位推动中国—中亚合作”迈出的关键一步。中国表示希望“给六国人民带来更多福祉”。在世界日益担心贫困和社会边缘化可能导致中亚恐怖活动增多的情况下,这一愿望尤其受欢迎。中方如何将这一愿望变为现实?最近一项显示了东南亚民众对中国给予前所未有的高水平支持的调查,提供了一些有用的经验教训以作参考。Read more

China’s Policy for Central Asia: Lessons from Southeast Asia & More

Image: Svetlana Tikhonova, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The recent establishment of the Secretariat for the China-Central Asia Mechanism represents a key step taken by China as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, to “comprehensively promote [their] cooperation”. China has expressed its wish to “bring more benefits to the people” of the five Central Asian nations. This wish is especially welcome amidst the world’s growing concerns that poverty and social marginalization might have contributed to the rise of terrorist activities in Central Asia. How can China turn this wish into reality? A recent survey showing Southeast Asians’ unprecedented level of support for China provides some useful lessons for reference.Read more

China’s Top Court Frees “Several” Birds with One Key

Image: Linnaea Mallette, Mountain Landscape Illustration (Publicdomainpictures.net)

最高人民法院最近把中国法院系统自去年以来使用的一个鲜为人知的问答工具带到了聚光灯下。该工具的表现令人充满希望,是最高人民法院一石“几”鸟之举。该工具的影响深远,可以为中国发展辅助审判的人工智能奠定坚实的基础。Read more

China’s Top Court Frees “Several” Birds with One Key

Image: Linnaea Mallette, Mountain Landscape Illustration (Publicdomainpictures.net)

A little-known Q&A tool used within China’s court system since 2023 was recently brought to the spotlight. With its promising performance, the tool allows China’s highest court to “free several birds with one key”. The far-reaching impact of the tool also lays a solid foundation for China to develop AI-assisted adjudication.Read more