China Law and Business

The growing tension between China and the rest of the world after the COVID-19 outbreak has made it more important than ever for businesses and their advisers to understand the legal framework in China and related compliance issues. Given their need to survive the current economic crisis, which will likely last for some time, foreign businesses--however guarded they are--must keep a watchful eye and be ready to seize opportunities arising from an economy that is too big to give up. Designed to prepare students for different opportunities that are likely to touch on China and its regulatory framework, this introductory course examines Chinese legal rules and principles in select business-related areas, including intellectual property, dispute resolution (e.g., arbitration and litigation), foreign investment law, antimonopoly law, environmental protection, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on her 25 years of experience handling issues related to U.S.--China relations, politics, and legal reforms, the instructor will, wherever appropriate, conduct discussions that help shed light on the role of China in the new world order. Through active class participation and analysis of legal and business cases, students will learn both the law on the books and the law in action, as well as strategies that Chinese and international businesses alike can use to overcome limitations in the Chinese legal system. Leaders from the law and business communities will be invited to share their experiences and insights. This course is particularly suitable for law students, MBA students, and students enrolled in the East Asian Studies Program. Undergraduates who have permission from the instructor may also take this course. A Stanford Non-Law Student Course Registration Form is available on the SLS Registrar's Office website. Elements used in grading: class participation (20%), team project (40%), and extended take-home exam (40%). For the team project component, students will work with another student enrolled in the class to produce an analysis of a judicial case or legislation in China and discuss, for example, the implications of the related Chinese legal principles for businesses and/or major differences between these principles and similar U.S. legal principles. Quality team projects may have the opportunity to be included in the professional journal published by the China Guiding Cases Project ("CGCP"), which is led by Dr. Mei Gechlik, the instructor, and her global team of nearly 200 members. Team projects selected for publication will receive editorial input from the CGCP.