ALSA Panels: The Dawn of Social Science Approaches to International Law in China

Asian Law and Society Association (ALSA) Annual Conference

Law, Crisis, and Revival in Asia, September 17 & 18, 2021 

A double panel on “The Dawn of Social Science Approaches to International Law in China” was co-organised by Matthew Erie and Yang Liu (Renmin U.). It brought together a number of emerging and senior scholars from China who are experts in a wide range of empirical approaches to international law.

Two facts underscored the need for this double panel: one, China is a major player in shaping international law, and, two, the social science of domestic law has grown considerably in China in recent decades. Yet, to date, social science approaches to the study of international law are quite nascent.

The panel sessions addressed this gap through a number of empirical studies of international law, including China’s role in introducing its own values and principles into international law. Panel 1 focused on using qualitative approaches whilst Panel 2 looked at employing quantitative methods. Substantively, topics in panel 1 covered such issues as extraterritoriality, dispute resolution, comparative law, WTO treaty interpretation, and panel 2 addressed such issues as US freedom of navigation, the relationship between international relations and international law in China, the PRC anti-sanction law, and China’s interpretation of the non-intervention principle.

Collectively, the papers stand for the proposition that the time has come for a Chinese scholarship that uses social science theory and methods to situate China in the field of international law.

The event sparked some lively discussions and a number of positive outcomes including talk of building a series of workshops on this theme in the near future.