Taiwan Legal: What Does International Law Say About Defending Taiwan?

The United States and other countries that engage in friendly but unofficial relations with Taiwan generally maintain “strategic ambiguity” on the question of whether they would help Taiwan defend itself against a possible armed attack by China. Their decision would undoubtedly be affected by many factors, including how the world would regard third-party intervention (especially military intervention) in a China-Taiwan conflict. Would the United Nations, and international law more generally, view third-party military intervention in a cross-Strait conflict as an illegal use of force? In this installment of our occasional speaker series, “Taiwan Legal,” Professor Julian Ku of Hofstra University School of Law will explain what international law says about the use of force for self-defense and collective self-defense.

Singapore’s Quick Rise as an International Arbitration Center

Singapore now ranks with Paris and London among the top-3 venues for international arbitration, despite being much newer on the scene.  Lucy Reed, president of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre Court, a prominent arbitrator and international lawyer, will explore the reasons, which include government commitment, supportive legislation, first-rate courts, Maxwell Chambers, SIAC, and a truly international outlook.

Outbound Investment Restrictions and International Law’s Challenge

In January, the United States inaugurated restrictions on U.S. investment in certain Chinese advanced technology sectors. At the time, the Outbound Investment Rule was portrayed as an incremental measure, a modest extension to fill loopholes in the existing investment screening regime. But while perhaps the logical next step in the securitization of the economy, Professor Harlan Cohen of Fordham Law School argues that the Outbound Investment Rule actually reflects a momentous shift in the relationship between governments and business, one playing out in the United States and around the world and worth attention. Unlike traditional investment screening, he explains, the Outbound Investment Rule operates like a sanctions regime, designed not to protect the U.S. economy, but to hamper the advancement of another. Learn more.

International Law for Whom?

International law and the international order are currently challenged on two fronts: externally, by the Global South; and internally, by the United States under its own leadership. What does this mean for the future? In his new book, The Law and Politics of International Legitimacy (Cambridge University Press, 2025), Jean-Marc Coicaud explores this question by examining the role of legitimacy in international life. Drawing on his first-hand experience in Asia, where he lived for nearly a decade, Coicaud also considers how regional powers—particularly China and Japan—may influence the reshaping of international law and the global order.

Remembering Jerome A. Cohen: Field Builder, Rights Advocate, and Mentor

Jerome A. Cohen, professor emeritus of law at New York University and founding director of the law school’s U.S.-Asia Law Institute, who passed away on September 22, 2025, introduced the study of China’s legal system into American law schools. Through his writings, teaching, private diplomacy, and public advocacy, he was an influential advocate for human rights and the rule of law in China and across East Asia as the region emerged from colonialism and post-war authoritarian rule to become an economic powerhouse

The Value of US-China Education Exchanges

As political and economic trust between the United States and China deteriorates year by year, some non-profits and scholars in both countries continue to swim against the tide, organizing exchange programs designed to build mutual understanding and trust. One of these is the U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET), a non-profit founded by former US Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch that supports American studies and other education programs at Chinese universities. Last May, when the US State Department announced that it would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” USCET issued a public statement decrying what it called a threat to the “broader foundation of US-Chinese relations.” Ambassador Bloch and USCET Executive Director Rosie Levine will explain why they continue to believe in the value of bilateral education exchanges, drawing on USCET’s more than two decades of experience.

US–China Competition and the International Order

Intensifying rivalry between the United States and China is reshaping the international order. The transactional diplomacy of the Trump administration is accelerating the erosion of established institutional guardrails. In this challenging moment, University of Tokyo Professor Ryo Sahashi says that Japan is working to reinforce global stability. Through careful management of its alliance with the US, proactive engagement with European and Indo-Pacific partners, and cooperation with Global South nations, Japan is trying to maintain regional balances, prevent conflict escalation, and preserve economic networks and free trade. Professor Sahashi will share his policy recommendations for how Japan and like-minded nations can collaboratively navigate the shifting global landscape.

Multipolarity, Civilizations and Universality in International Law

The international legal order is fragmenting into multiple “geo-legal orders,” in which the interpretation and operation of international law will increasingly depend on the spheres of influence of leading states and political groupings. This raises a basic question: how will a multipolar international order work? What normative constructions will emerge to bind the new geo-legal orders together? Dr. Malcolm Jorgensen, a senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, will share his current research in progress.

 Taiwan Legal: What Does PRC Law Say about Taiwan?

Military drills by the People’s Republic of China around self-ruled Taiwan are larger and more frequent than ever. Chinese warplanes, drones, balloons, and naval ships now enter Taiwan’s airspace and waters on a daily basis. At the United Nations and other international venues, Chinese authorities never overlook an opportunity to reiterate their message: Taiwan belongs to the PRC. In this installment of our occasional speaker series, “Taiwan Legal,” we ask what PRC law says about the status of Taiwan, and how the Chinese party-state bases its claim in history and international law. Professor Bing Ling of University of Sydney will explain why Taiwan is so important to the PRC that China might risk a costly war to retake it.

[Recording] Japan's Evolving Position on Collective Self-Defense

Japan’s post-World War II constitution has never been amended, but it has been reinterpreted in light of changing needs and understandings. This includes the constitution’s unique Article 9, in which Japan forswears military action except in self-defense. Changes in Japan’s national security environment in recent years –  including the rising military strength of its neighbor, China; Russia’s belligerence in Ukraine (relevant because of a longstanding territorial dispute between Japan and Russia); and developments related to the US security umbrella under the new administration – are increasing pressure on Japanese leaders to further evolve their understanding of Art. 9. A panel of three experts will discuss how Japanese politicians, policymakers, and scholars today think about Japan’s expanding security and defense cooperation with Europe while maintaining its identity as a pacifist country.

[Recording] The Authoritarian Commons: Neighborhood Democratization in Urban China (book talk)

Since the Chinese government carried out full-scale privatization of the urban housing market nearly three decades ago, private home ownership in cities has soared and tens of millions of home-owning Chinese have joined home ownership associations. In his new book, The Authoritarian Commons: Neighborhood Democratization in Urban China (Cambridge University Press, 2025), Shitong Qiao argues that homeowner associations (HOAs) have fundamentally changed how Chinese urban neighborhoods and cities are governed. Drawing on six years of fieldwork, he finds that local governments have come to rely on homeowners to help govern their own neighborhoods, and homeowners have become accustomed to the democratic ritual of electing HOA leaders. Does the rise of HOAs have any wider significance for China’s political future?

[Recording] Taiwan Legal: What Does ROC Law Say about Taiwan?

Taiwan’s status as a state is often challenged not because it fails to meet the criteria for statehood, but because of its ambiguous legal relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We continue our “Taiwan Legal” speaker series by asking how Taiwan, functioning as the Republic of China (ROC), defines its relationship with the PRC in legal terms. Yu-Jie Chen, an assistant research professor at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae of Academia Sinica, will explain what the ROC Constitution says and how Taiwan engages with and distinguishes itself from the PRC.

[Recording] Protecting Human Rights in Supply Chains

The promulgation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011 helped focus attention on the need for companies to develop responsible and sustainable approaches to business activities, including their distant supply chains. More than a decade later, severe human rights violations such as forced labor still persist. A distinguished panel of experts will discuss what investors, corporations, NGOs, and government policymakers in the US and Japan are doing now to fulfill their responsibility to protect human rights in supply chains.

[Recording] Pro Bono as Political Control

China’s legal service sector is growing rapidly, including not only commercial law offices but publicly funded legal aid and innovative free legal advice platforms. At the same time, the regime has largely suppressed the country’s human rights lawyers. What is going on? Hualing Fu, dean of the law faculty at the University of Hong Kong and visiting professor at NYU School of Law, will share his research into an emerging new sector that he calls “public legal services,” which the party-state is developing in order to ensure that social disputes are resolved speedily in line with regime interests. In the process, Chinese lawyers may be transitioning backward from legal professionals to state legal workers.