Which country consumed more cement in 2011–2013 than the USA during the whole 20th century and from where are the CDB and CEXIM policy banks that made more investments than the whole World Bank during the same years? The answer is China.

Professor Shen Wei, Jiaotong University Shanghai, will elaborate on the legal framework and practices of Chinese financial sector and the bilateral investment treaties of China. China is not only reshaping the global economic architecture, but are also reaching out its tentacles to Finland as the biggest investments from China will land in the city of Kemi. Professor Shen Wei will share to us his knowledge on the legal and financial reforms and contractual aspects of internationalization of Chinese investment practices.


Open lecture:
China's bilateral investment treaty Law and Practice: Status Quo and Shifting Trend
Time: 4 May, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Lecture Hall 10 (LS10), main building of the University of Lapland

Although China has been an active "treaty-maker" in the realm of international investment arbitration as evidenced by its nearly 130 bilateral investment treaties, the utility of these BITs has been very limited. Substantive standards such as expropriation and compensation have never been comprehensively tested with respect to these BITs. Conventional wisdom views these BITs as China's tool to attract foreign direct investment. The talk tries to understand the underlying rationale of China's strategy and policy to have these BITs and its more proactive stance in the context of TPP negotiations in the Asia-Pacific region.


Research seminar for researchers and master level students:
Rule of Law and Financial Reform
Time: 6 May, from 10 a.m. to 12 (noon) and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Lecture Hall 10 (LS10), main building of the University of Lapland

The speaker makes an attempt to rationalize China's recent financial reforms in a rule of law development context. China's financial sector survived the global financial crisis well. However, this does not suggest that China's financial sector is risk free. Instead, China's slowing economic growth presents greater challenges to its financial sector. The local government debt crisis and more recent capital market crisis call for a deeper financial reform and a change to the government's role in the market-oriented economy.


Bio: Professor Shen Wei

Professor Shen Wei, Shanghai Jiaotong University Law School, is one of leading scholars on international investment and financial law, corporate governance and financial regulations in China. Shen Wei received his Ph.D. in Law at London School of Economics and is an Attorney-at-Law at New York. Professor Shen has practiced law on three continents and has published several books, dozens of book chapters and articles.


Further information:

Matti Nojonen
Professor on Chinese culture and society
University of Lapland
Faculty of Law
Tel. +358 40 484 4130 or +358 44 9712743
matti.nojonen (at) ulapland.fi