Xingwei Li

Profile

Background

LLB: Changchun University of Science and Technology 

LLM: The University of Sheffield 

What are my plans once I have completed my Ph.D?

I would like to continue an academic career working in the university.

Research interests

China is a developing country, and its environmental problems have been focused on globally. With the development of Chinese industrialization, such problems have become more serious. With the country having one of the most dynamic economies, Chinese companies did not address the problem of environmental debt in a timely way; it was done after they went bankrupt. This has resulted in more serious environmental pollution, such as soil contamination, waste (including electronic waste, industrial pollution, water and air pollution) together with pollutants (including lead, and yellow dust). Some pollutants, like yellow dust, have a serious impact on neighbouring countries.  

In China, bankruptcy law aims to achieve debtor exemption and re-departure. Together with environmental law, it stipulates the priority of the full acceptance of compensation and the polluter burden principle conflict. The environmental creditors rights’ protection, given the bankruptcy of enterprises, faces numerous challenges, meaning the rights and interests of environmental creditors cannot be effectively protected. As such, China could learn from relevant laws and cases, in Britain and the United States, in respect of the definition of environmental debt in the process of enterprise bankruptcy, the realization of content and the relevant experience of the realizing procedure. This could lead to significant influences in terms of protecting the rights and interests of environmental creditors, improving the Chinese legal system and protecting the global environment.