Few people outside of China’s legal elites have heard of the “foreign-related rule of law” policy. Yet this awkwardly named policy was a big reason that Chinese President Xi Jinping was able to stage his recent summit with US President Donald Trump in a posture of apparent parity. Katherine Wilhelm writes that “foreign-related rule of law” produced the critical minerals export control regime that enabled Xi to force Trump into a tariff truce.
One of the most complex topics in contemporary international relations is the status of the self-governing entity of Taiwan and its government in Taipei. In this November 6, 2025 talk, Pasha Hsieh, a law professor at Singapore Management University, explains how states that lack formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan nonetheless enter into trade and bilateral investment agreements with it, blurring the line between recognition and non-recognition.
On April 2, 2025, US President Trump declared “Liberation Day” and launched a tariff war against the entire world, including key American trade partners in East Asia. In this April 8, 2026 talk, Henry Gao, law professor at Singapore Management University and a trade expert, argues that the Liberation Day tariffs were simply leverage to force other countries to halt disguised transshipment of Chinese goods to the United States. Going forward, Professor Gao calls for rethinking some fundamental rules of the current global trade system, such as most-favored nation status.
May 24– May 30
China’s government begins issuing ID numbers to humanoid robots so they can be tracked from production to recycling; Hong Kong announces plans to create a specialized International Commercial Court within the High Court to hear high-value cross-border disputes; Japan's Diet creates two high-level bodies to consolidate and analyze national security information; South Korean police accuse a YouTuber of using artificial intelligence to create fake evidence that actor Kim Soo-hyun dated a minor; Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun prepares to head to the United States for talks with American politicians about sustainable peace across the Taiwan Strait; Taiwan President Lai Ching-te proposes a US$12 billion program to encourage births.
May 17– May 23
China strengthens state control over mining, processing, and stockpiling of rare earths and casts doubt on White House assertions that China agreed to address concerns about rare earth shortages; Hong Kong's legislature converts its only authorized protest site into a parking lot; Japan considers expanding the role played by crime victims and bereaved families in criminal proceedings; the South Korean government issues a white paper that pivots the government’s North Korea policy from confrontation to peaceful coexistence; opposition parties in Taiwan’s legislature fail to obtain enough votes to impeach President Lai Ching-te; the reliability of the US defense umbrella is the subject of debate in Taiwan and Washington as US President Trump sends mixed signals about approving a planned $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
May 10– May 16
Chinese President Xi Jinping warns US President Donald Trump that mishandling disagreements over Taiwan could push the two countries toward conflict; China's legislature considers the first comprehensive revision of the Agriculture Law since 2002; Japanese legislators begin discussing a draft amendment to the constitution that would allow the Cabinet to extend Diet members’ terms during national emergencies; a South Korean appeals court increases the prison term given to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's interior minister for aiding him in declaring martial law in 2024; Taiwan's Legislative Yuan prepares to vote next week on a motion to impeach President Lai Ching-te that is expected to fail.
Program on International Law & Relations in Asia
