Researchers' Activities

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by UNCTAD for the UNCTAD – City University of Hong Kong “Contemporary Issues in Investment Arbitration: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia’s Growth & Development” Conference from 21-22 November 2011. Prof Ewing-Chow spoke about “Trends and developments in FDI flows and in International Investment Agreements (IIAs): Asia from Capital Importers to Capital Exporters” and “ASEAN IIAs and Regulatory Space” both of which are based on research in collaboration with Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Geraldine Fischer. Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General, UNCTAD opened the conference.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the International Conference on ‘Cooperation for the Safety of Navigation in East Asia: Legal Arrangements and Political Implications’ in Haikou, China. The Conference was organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Professor Beckman was one of the Panellists on the panel focusing on Navigation in the South China Sea, where he talked about the use of Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in the South China Sea. For a PDF version of the draft paper that he presented, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by the WTO as a regional expert for the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for Asia Pacific officials at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in New Delhi, India. Prof Ewing-Chow taught “The WTO Dispute Settlement System” with Jung Aegyoung, WTO Legal Affairs Officer from 14-16 November 2011. Prof Ewing-Chow also shared his new research on the use by Asian Developing Countries of the WTO Dispute Settlement System which arose out of a collaboration with Mr Akshay Kolse-Patil.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by School of Law& Silk Road Institute for International and Comparative Law of Xi’an Jiao Tong University to their conference “CHINA IN THE WTO AT 10TH” form 3rd – 9th November 2011. Prof Ewing-Chow gave lectures on “Trade in Services” and “The Growing Centrality of China in East Asia’s Production Processes” to over 90 officials, lawyers and students attending the event. For a photo from the event, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the 3rd International Workshop on The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Conference was organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and Vietnam Lawyers Association. Prof Beckman made a presentation entitled “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea: Prospects for Adjudication or Arbitration”. To download his presentation in PDF format, click here. A paper titled “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea: Prospects for Arbitration or Advisory Opinion” was co-authored by Prof Beckman and Mr Bernard. For a PDF version of the draft paper, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme and WTO Chair, and Research Fellow Geraldine Fischer were consulted by Prof Sophia Listrani of Syiah Kuala University in Aceh about developing the first course on International Investment Law to be taught in English in Indonesia. Prof Listrani spent 2 weeks from 17 October to 1 November 2011 at CIL developing the curriculum and gathering the materials for the course with the advice of Prof Ewing-Chow and Ms Fischer. This project is part of a capacity building initiative for Aceh funded by the Dutch government. Last year Prof Ewing-Chow and Research Associate Liu Gehuan helped Prof Tiwardah Hamidysie develop the first course on World Trade Law in Indonesia. [View image]

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons made a presentation on Marine Pollution from Offshore Activities (environmental, socio and economic aspects) at the International Conference on Liability and Compensation Regime for Tansboundary Oil Damage Resulting from Offshore Exploration and Exploitation Activities organized in Bali by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 21-23 September 2011. For a copy of the presentation in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme was invited by the ASEAN Studies Centre to participate in the 3rd Train-the-Trainers Course on the ASEAN Charter as the legal expert. Prof Ewing-Chow delivered a full day lecture about the legal implementation of the ASEAN Charter and the various issues that need to be addressed. For more information, click here.

On Wednesday 14 September 2011, CIL Director Robert Beckman made an official visit to the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee. He met with Director Prof Peter Cameron and members of his staff to discuss possible collaboration. He made a presentation at a staff seminar on “The South China Sea Disputes: Prospects for Joint Development” and led a discussion with PhD students from CEPLMP on the International Regulation of Pollution from Offshore Installations. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation on the South China Sea Disputes, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, participated in the WTI’s Annual World Trade Forum 2011: “New Directions & Emerging Challenges in International Investment Law and Policy” held on 9 Sep to 10 Sep 201. This year’s Forum, held in cooperation with UNCTAD discussed the current challenges and opportunities for global investment governance. This was a new development for the WTI’s World Trade Forum which formerly only focused on trade. Prof Ewing-Chow was a discussant for papers presented by Prof Andrea Bjorklund and Ms Yas Banifatemi, Partner, Shearman & Sterling on Convergence of Investment Rules and Consistency in Panel Interpretations. Prof Ewing-Chow also then chaired a session on “The Quest for an Adequate Balance Between Investment Protection and Liberalization and Other Public Policy Objectives” where Mr Bart Legum, Partner, Salans and Prof Anne van Aaken, University of St Gallen presented papers General Exceptions in International Investment Law and Investment and Sustainable Development. Assoc Prof Celine Levesque, University of Ottawa and Assoc Prof Susan Franck, Washington & Lee University acted as discussants.