Arguably the development of China’s investment law system mirrors the development of China’s economy if not the whole society since the start of the reform process in late 1978. What began as a tightly controlled regime with very limited options, then saw an increasing liberalization with regulatory corrections along the way when deemed necessary. On the face of it, the situation has culminated in the enactment of the PRC Investment Law on 1 January 2020. This seminar aims to trace key developments of China’s inbound investment law and to identify the main drivers. It also searches for patterns, if any, which characterize the evolution of China’s investment law with the ultimate goal to allow for future predictions.

About the Speaker:
Prof. Lutz-Christian WOLFF is Wei Lun Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. After several years of studying, doing research and working in Passau, Shanghai, Taipei, Düsseldorf, Beijing, New York and Frankfurt he has been based in Hong Kong since 1999. Prof. WOLFF specializes in Chinese and international business law, private international law and comparative law. His work includes: Mergers & Acquisitions in China – Law and Practice, 5^th ed. (2015); The Law of Cross-border Business Transactions – Concepts, Principles, Skills – 2^nd ed. (2017); From a ‘Small Phrase with Big Ambitions’ to a Powerful Driver of Contract Law Unification? – China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the CISG -, 34 Journal of Contract Law (2017), 50; Legal Responses to China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative: Necessary, Possible or Pointless Exercise?, 29 Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems Journal (2020), 249. He is also the editor of China Outbound Investments (2011 – Chinese translation 2012) and Legal Dimensions of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (Hong Kong 2016 – with Xi Chao).