Annual Joint Conference on Chinese and UK Commercial Law

Join the University of Leeds and East China University of Political Science and Law for their annual joint conference.

The annual Joint Conference on Chinese and UK Commercial Law, organised by the University of Leeds School of Law in collaboration with East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL), will take place on 9–10 June 2025. This prestigious event brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from both countries to explore key legal developments and challenges in commercial law. This year's theme focuses on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues, reflecting the growing importance of sustainable business practices in the global economy. The conference will provide a platform for insightful discussions, comparative legal analysis, and opportunities for future collaboration between China and the UK.

The first day of the conference (9 June) will be face-to-face only and the second day (the Grandall Forum) will be hybrid. 

Please register in advance via Tickettailor. 

Schedule:

9 June 

9:00 to 9:30 Opening

• Prof. Wian Yulin, Dean of School of Economic Law, ECUPL
• Dr. Adam Tyson, Pro-Dean International, Faculty of Social Science, University of Leeds

9:30 to 11:00 Session 1: Company Law

• Chair: Duncan Sheehan, Professor of Business Law, Director of Centre for Business Law and Practice, University of Leeds
• Qian Yulin, Professor of Law, Dean of School of Economic Law, East China University of Politics and Law
  •  ‘ESG and the position of Corporate law’
• Gerard McCormack, Professor of International Business Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  •  'Cross Border Insolvency and the English Common Law’
• Wang Huaiyong, Professor of Law, Vice-President, Southwestern University of Politics and Law
  • ‘Soft Constraints to Statutory Obligations: Delimiting Legal Boundaries of ESG Responsibilities under China’s Company Law’
• Oriana Casasola, Lecturer in Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  •  ‘Towards a More Sustainable EU Insolvency Law: The Missing Piece of Farming Holdings’

11:00 to 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 to 13:00 Session 2: Environment and Labour Markets:

• Chair: Ningning Huang (Henry), Senior managing partner of Grandall, Liberty Fellow, the University of Leeds School of Law

• Wang Yaoling, Associate Professor of Law, East China University of Politics and Law
  • ‘The labour regulatory regime and challenges of ESG System in China
• Maria Anna Corvaglia, Lecturer in Commercial Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  • ‘The Rise of Labour Disputes under Preferential Trade Agreements’

• Zhang Hui, Professor of Law, School of Economic Law, Southwestern University of Politics and Law
  • ‘A Critical Reflection on the Surge of Global Climate Litigation: Issues and Corrections’
• Chu Juan, Associate Professor of Law, School of Economic Law, East China University of Politics and Law
  • ‘Emerging Trends in ESG-Driven Environmental Reporting Among Chinese Enterprises’

13:00 to 14:00 Lunch

14:00 to 15:30 Session 3: Intellectual Property Law

• Chair: Or Brook, Associate Professor of Competition Law and Policy, Deputy-Director of Centre for Business Law and Practice,  School of Law, University of Leeds

• Igor Szpotakowski, Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  • ‘The Effect of Pre-Market Licensing on Private Ordering Among Generative AI Service Providers and Users in China’
• Li An, Associate professor of Law, School of Intellectual Property, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
  • ‘Copyright rules for artificial intelligence data training’
• Ioanna Lapatoura, Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  • ‘virtual worlds' and metaverse platforms' governance from both a copyright and TM perspective’
• Cesar-Joel Ramirez-Montes, Associate Professor of Intellectual Property Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  •  ‘Patentability of AI-generates Inventions’

15:30 to 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00 to 17:00 Session 4: Other Challenges in ESG

• Chair: Xu Mingrui (Raymond), Director/ solicitor Advocate at Raymond Legal.
• Li Weiqun, Professor of Law, School of Economic Law, East China University of Politics and Law
  • Challenges and Solutions for Insurance Institutions’ Involvement in Corporate Carbon Emission Management’

• Eun Hye Kim, Lecturer in Law, School of Law, University of Leeds
  • ‘Big business steering the path of the law’
• Wu Jian, Professor of Law, Vice Dean of Graduate School, Easter China University of Politics and Law
  • ‘Improving the ESG Information Disclosure System of Chinese Listed Company’

19:00 to 21:00 Conference Dinner

10 June Grandall Forum

10:00 to 10:30 Launch of Grandall Scholarship:

• Opening Address: Louise Ellison, Professor of Law, Head of School of Law, University of Leeds
• Launch Speech: Mr. Huang Ningning, Senior managing partner at Grandall Law Firm, Liberty Fellow, School of Law University of Leeds.

10:30 to 12:00 Session 5: Dialogue in International Commercial Law Practice

• Chair: Zhou Qi (George), Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director of International, School of Law University of Leeds
• Huang Ningning, Cheng Jingjiao, Li Yao
  • Grandall’s Presentation
• A delegation from Law Society
  • Law Society’s Presentation

12:00 to 14:00 Lunch and Networking