TikTok: National Security, Protection of Minors, or Other Concerns?

Image: Gerd Altmann, Social Media, Publicdomainpictures.net

On March 18, 2024, China Daily published an article quoting comments on TikTok made by Dr. Mei Gechlik and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

2024年3月18日,《中国日报》发表了一篇文章,援引熊美英博士和肯塔基州共和党参议员兰德·保罗对抖音的评论。Read more

AI & Zambia Put Biden’s “No-Conflict Competition” with China to the Test

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Chess, Chess Board, Chess Club (Publicdomainpictures.net)

美国总统乔·拜登在其国情咨文中声称,他“希望与中国竞争,而不是冲突”。距离下届美国总统选举还有不到八个月的时间,拜登总统需要证明他值得连任总统,以完成各项工作,包括巩固美国在两个关键领域的领导地位:(1)先进技术的开发和应用,以及(2)与对美国具有战略重要性的国家建立牢固的关系。两项最新事态发展使拜登总统与中国“无冲突地竞争”的计划经受考验。Read more

AI & Zambia Put Biden’s “No-Conflict Competition” with China to the Test

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Chess, Chess Board, Chess Club (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In his State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden asserted that he “want[s] competition with China, not conflict”. With less than eight months before the next U.S. presidential election, President Biden needs to show that he deserves another presidential term to, among other tasks, solidify the country’s leadership in two critical areas: (1) the development and application of advanced technologies, and (2) the establishment of strong ties with foreign countries that are strategically important to the United States. Two recent developments are putting President Biden’s “no-conflict competition” with China to the test.Read more

China’s NEW Law on Foreign State Immunity and Related U.S. Experiences

Image: Gerd Altmann, Judge Gavel (Publicdomainpictures.net)

中国颁布《外国国家豁免法》,标志着中国从容许外国国家在中国法院享有“绝对豁免”正式过渡到将豁免限制于某些类型的诉讼。这种过渡与美国(体现于1976 年《外国主权豁免法》)所采用的做法一致。然而,通过比较中国《外国国家豁免法》和美国《外国主权豁免法》以及美国的相关法理(见小约翰·M·沃克(John M. Walker Jr.)巡回法官通过丝络谈™所发表的文章),可以发现两国做法之间的关键差异。Read more

The United States Approach to Foreign Sovereign Immunity

Image: George Hodan, Judge Gavel (Publicdomainpictures.net)

本文由美国联邦第二巡回上诉法院小约翰·M·沃克(John M. Walker Jr.)资深法官撰写。文章概述了美国对外国主权豁免的做法。首先,文章追溯该原则的起源至美国早期的法理学,并叙述了该原则的发展及其最终被编入1976 年《外国主权豁免法》。文章随后综述《外国主权豁免法》的相关规定和部分司法解释。Read more

China’s NEW Law on Foreign State Immunity and Related U.S. Experiences

Image: Gerd Altmann, Judge Gavel (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s enactment of the Foreign State Immunity Law marks the country’s formal transition from affording foreign states “absolute immunity” in Chinese courts to restricting the immunity to certain types of lawsuits. This transition is in line with the approach used in the United States, as codified in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (“FSIA”). However, a comparison between China’s Foreign State Immunity Law and the FSIA and related U.S. jurisprudence——as discussed by Circuit Judge John M. Walker Jr. in an article published by SINOTALKS®——reveals key differences between the two countries’ approaches.Read more

The United States Approach to Foreign Sovereign Immunity

Image: George Hodan, Judge Gavel (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Written by Judge John M. Walker Jr., a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, this article provides an overview of the U.S. approach to foreign sovereign immunity. First, it traces the doctrine’s origins in early American jurisprudence and recounts the development of the doctrine and its eventual codification in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (“FSIA”) of 1976. The article then summarizes relevant provisions and certain judicial interpretations of the FSIA.Read more

Priorities of the BRICS Under Russia’s Leadership

Image: Sergey Golopolosov, Moscow Kremlin At Night (Publicdomainpictures.net)

俄罗斯于1月1日开始担任为期一年的金砖国家主席国,并迅速召开会议将“增加本国货币在相互结算中的比例”确定为金砖国家的重要工作。俄罗斯有意减少世界对美元的依赖是众所周知的。俄罗斯在担任金砖国家主席国期间能否成功实现这一目标?正如本期《丝络速递™》所解释的那样,这问题的答案取决于俄罗斯能否利用金砖国家成员的支持,吸引大量国家加入该组织。Read more

Priorities of the BRICS Under Russia’s Leadership

Image: Sergey Golopolosov, Moscow Kremlin At Night (Publicdomainpictures.net)

Russia began its one-year BRICS presidency on January 1 and quickly convened a meeting, at which “increasing the proportion of national currencies in mutual settlements” was identified as an important task for the BRICS. Russia’s interest in reducing the world’s reliance on the U.S. dollar is widely known. Will the country succeed in accomplishing this goal during its BRICS presidency? The answer, as explained in this issue of SinoExpress™, depends on whether Russia will be able to leverage the support of existing BRICS members to attract a large number of countries to join the organization.Read more

How a Trademark Case Helps Illuminate China’s NEW Patent Rules

Image: Anthony Nava, Blue, Red, and Green Gears (Publicdomainpictures.net)

中国从2月5日起降低所有银行的存款准备金率的措施会让更多现金注入银行体系,从而有助于重振经济。另一项可能有助于改善中国经济但似乎很少引起法律界以外的关注的措施是中国发布了新修订的专利法实施细则。如果有效实施,这些新修订的规则有可能加强中国的专利保护机制,使中国对外国投资者而言更具吸引力。Read more

How a Trademark Case Helps Illuminate China’s NEW Patent Rules

Image: Anthony Nava, Blue, Red, and Green Gears (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s reduction of the reserve requirement ratio for all banks beginning from February 5 is expected to help revive the economy by injecting more cash into the banking system. Another measure that is likely to help improve China’s economy but seems to have drawn little attention outside the legal community is the release of a set of revised rules to implement China’s Patent Law. If applied effectively, these revised rules have the potential to strengthen China’s patent protection mechanism, making the country more appealing to foreign investors.Read more

SinoExpress

Images: Alix Lee, Liberty Plaza CKS Memorial; Gerd Altmann, Robot
(Publicdomainpictures.net)

本期丝络谈™每月通讯《丝络速递™》涵盖的内容包括:(1)台湾第三政党民众党如何从上周六的选举中获得有影响力的地位,使其领导人柯文哲有可能与北京进行重要对话;(2)鲜为人知的美中高科技合作,让人们对两国可能在 2024 年共同取得更多成就感到乐观。Read more

SinoExpress

Images: Alix Lee, Liberty Plaza CKS Memorial; Gerd Altmann, Robot
(Publicdomainpictures.net)

This issue of SinoExpress™, a monthly newsletter of SINOTALKS®, covers how Taiwan’s third party, i.e., the Taiwan People’s Party, has secured from last Saturday’s election an influential position that may empower its leader, KO Wen-je, to have important dialogues with Beijing. The issue also highlights little known U.S.-China high-tech collaborations, which evoke optimism that the two countries may be able to accomplish more together in 2024.Read more

China’s “One Website, Two Databases” Approach to Judicial Transparency, Reform, & Consistency

Image: Gerd Altmann, Seek (Publicdomainpictures.net)

为了缓解人们对一个发布了大量中国裁判文书的网站的未来的担忧,最高人民法院最近采取了不同寻常的举措,不仅确认该网站继续运行,还宣布建立两个新的数据库。借助这两个数据库,中国法院将能够制定数据驱动的司法改革措施,并提高司法一致性。两个数据库弥补了上述网站的不足,但值得注意的是,该网站作为维护司法透明不可或缺的平台,在提升两个数据库价值方面发挥着独特的作用。Read more

China’s “One Website, Two Databases” Approach to Judicial Transparency, Reform, & Consistency

Image: Gerd Altmann, Seek (Publicdomainpictures.net)

To alleviate growing concerns about the future of a key website used by Chinese courts to publish millions of judgments, the Supreme People’s Court took an unusual step recently not only to confirm the continued operation of the website, but also to announce the establishment of two new databases. With the two databases, the Chinese judiciary will be able to formulate data-driven judicial reform measures and increase judicial consistency. While the databases help address deficiencies of the website, it is worth noting that the website—an indispensable platform to safeguard judicial transparency—plays a unique role in enhancing the value of these databases.Read more

SinoExpress

Images: Jean Beaufort, Oil Pump Jack; Joshua Kim, Father and Daughters on Hanoi Street; Circe Denyer, Computer Chip Technology Hardware; Axelle B, Smartphone (Publicdomainpictures.net)

本期丝络谈™每月通讯《丝络速递™》涵盖的内容包括:圭亚那的经济和外交实力会如何促使中国更积极地帮助解决委内瑞拉与圭亚那的争端、为什么新加坡最近采取的开创性举措可能有利于中国和越南、德国对其半导体行业的补贴招致了哪些批评、富士康最近在印度的扩张计划到底意味着什么。Read more

SinoExpress

Images: Jean Beaufort, Oil Pump Jack; Joshua Kim, Father and Daughters on Hanoi Street; Circe Denyer, Computer Chip Technology Hardware; Axelle B, Smartphone (Publicdomainpictures.net)

This issue of SinoExpress™, a monthly newsletter of SINOTALKS®, covers how Guyana’s economic and diplomatic might will likely cause China to become more involved in helping settle the Venezuela-Guyana dispute, why a pioneering move recently taken by Singapore could benefit China and Vietnam, what criticisms Germany’s subsidies for its semiconductor industry have drawn, and what Foxconn’s recent expansion plan in India really means.Read more

In Brief

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

上周五我向访问华盛顿特区的中国律师代表团发表关于人工智能法律工具的演讲。OpenAI近日的戏剧性变化让此预先计划好的演讲出乎意料地及时。OpenAI对首席执行官山姆·阿尔特曼(Sam Altman)的解雇和重新聘用引发了大家深入讨论这些工具所带来的机会和担忧。就中国而言,中国领导层可能会得出这样的结论:这些工具带来的机会大于担忧,并会采取一些可以直接帮助开发更可靠的人工智能法律工具的措施,而这些措施可间接为该国带来有效的法律改革。Read more