China’s influence within the global economy has been intensifying. Once a country with a guarded acceptance of international standards, China is now actively seeking to change them. Its role as a rule taker, rule maker, and norm shaper has had ripple effects on the regulation of trade, technology, human rights, and the culture of business itself, including here in Vancouver.
On a snowy January 14, 2020, the Centre for Business Law at the Allard School of Law convened a panel of leading practitioners and scholars to discuss how China is changing the trajectory of local and international business standards, and what lawyers could do to better prepare and navigate this shifting geopolitical and legal landscape.
Over 70 lawyers, executives, policymakers, faculty and students attended the panel and reception afterwards. The Allard School of Law would like to thank McCarthy Tétrault LLP for hosting this important event.
The panel comprised:
Ljiljana Biuković, Professor, Allard School of Law, specializing in international economic law, who regularly publishes on trade, investment, and human rights. The event also celebrated the launch of her new book, Good Governance in Economic Development: International Norms and Chinese Perspectives (edited with Sarah Biddulph).
Guo Li, Professor and Vice Dean of Beijing University, Vice Chairman of the China Banking Law Society, Chair of the Listing Committee for the STAR Market at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and an expert member of the State Supervisory Committee and National Internet Finance Association of China.
Pavan Jawanda, Partner in the Business Law Group, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, who specializes in domestic and international mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, corporate finance, and venture capital in various industries, including technology, finance, mining, energy and manufacturing, and with many notable deals originating in China and other parts of Asia. Prior to McCarthy’s, Pavan practiced in the New York and Hong Kong offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.
Pitman Potter, Professor and Director of Chinese Legal Studies at the Allard School of Law, world-renowned scholar on China and Asia in the areas of foreign trade and investment, property law, business regulation, and human rights, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Jack Yong, Partner and Leader of the China Initiative at Lawson Lundell LLP, specializing in private M&A and cross-border transactions, with significant experience advising Chinese clients with inbound investments and Canadian clients doing business in China.
The panel was moderated by Carol Liao, Assistant Professor, Director of the Centre for Business Law, and UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics.
