Researchers' Activities

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.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, was invited by United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to the Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on the “Consolidation of International Agreements: Disentangling the Spaghetti Bowl?” held at World Trade Institute (WTI) in Bern, Switzerland on 8 and 9 September 2011. He spoke on the session with Assoc Prof Vivienne Bath, University of Sydney, Prof Rudolph Dolzer, University of Bonn, Prof Peter Muchlinski, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and Prof Andrea Bjorklund, UC Davis School of Law. Prof Ewing-Chow presented a paper which he co-wrote with CIL Adj Research Fellow Geraldine Fischer entitled ASEAN IIAS: CONSERVING REGULATORY SOVEREIGNTY WHILE PROMOTING THE RULE OF LAW? For a copy of the presentation in PDF format, click here.

On Thursday 8 and Friday 9 September 2011, CIL Director Robert Beckman attended a book project meeting on Modern Piracy at University College London. Prof Beckman made a presentation on his draft chapter on Piracy in Southeast Asia and had discussions with other experts who are contributing chapters to the book on Modern Piracy which will be edited by Douglas Guilfoyle of the UCL Faculty of Law.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper at an International Workshop on Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea which was organized by the China Institute of Marine Affairs (CIMA) in Beijing from 29-31 August, 2011. Prof Beckman’s paper was on “Prospects for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. The Director of CIMA is Dr Gao Zhiguo, who is a judge on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). For a copy of the paper, click here. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper on “The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and Soft Law: Broadening the Reach of Regional Human Rights Protections” at the Third Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law held in Beijing, China.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper in the panel on Law of the Sea at the Third Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law in Being on 26-27 August. Prof Beckman’s paper was on “China, UNCLOS and the South China Sea”. For a copy of the paper, click here. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme was invited to teach at the IEEM Academy of International Investment and Trade Law in Macau on “Asian Developments in Investment Agreements”.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, was invited by the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration to present a paper titled “Investment Agreements: Protecting Against Regime Change” at the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Prof Walter Woon and Deputy Director Dr Navin Raj represented CIL at the inauguration of Malaysia’s International Centre for Law and Legal Studies (I-CeLLS) on 8 July 2011 in Putrajaya, which was graced by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. I-CeLLS is expected to provide a platform for experts from various backgrounds and disciplines, including private legal practitioners, academics, government lawyers and policy makers, to interact and address different aspects of key national, regional and international issues.

CIL Director Robert Beckman held a seminar on “The South China Sea Disputes: Prospects for Adjudication or Arbitration” on 14 June 2011. This seminar was the seventh in a series of invitation-only seminars organized by CIL on the South China Sea disputes. For a copy of the presentation, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh’s keynote speech at Raffles Institution Tiltshift Summit held on 13 June 2011. For the PDF version of his speech, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman was a speaker at the International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC 2011) at Changi Exhibition Centre on 19 May 2011. The title of Prof Beckman’s presentation was “Developing an Integrated Approach to Ocean Management”. IMSC 2011 is a global forum organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies with the support of Republic of Singapore Navy. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons presented a paper on Offshore oil and gas in the South China Sea and the protection of the marine environment at a seminar on Perspectives on Transboundary Environmental Governance in Australia and Beyond organized by the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security in Wollongong, Australia.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation in Brussels on 5 May 2011 at an Expert Roundtable on Maritime Security. The Roundtable was organized by the Embassy and Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the European Union, and EGMONT, the Royal Institute for International Relations of Belgium, and held in the Priory of Val Duchesse, Brussels. Professor Beckman and Dr Hasjim Djalal of Indonesia attended at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Indonesia. Professor Beckman spoke about maritime security in Southeast Asia. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Deputy Chairman Prof Walter Woon’s keynote speech at CIL-KSIL-SILS conference held on 20 April 2011. For the PDF version of his speech, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the First Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Cyber Security. The meeting was held at the Palm Garden Hotel IOI Resort City, Putrajaya, Malaysia and was attended by representatives from 13 CSCAP countries. At the meeting Prof Beckman made a presentation entitled “Legal Policy and Framework: Jurisdictional Challenges in Cyber Security.”

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme,visited Chile at the invitation of the Catholic University of Chile to launch a trade law course started by his former students. While there he was invited to give seminars on various topics at different universities, including a seminar on “New Wine in Old Wine Skins?: The ASEAN IIAs, Investor Protection and Regulatory Flexibility” at the University of Chile, Santiago, a seminar on “Multilateral ‘and/or’ Regional: WTO and RTAs” at the University Diego Portales, Santiago, and a seminar on “Multilateral ‘and/or’ Regional: WTO and RTAs” at Catholic University of Chile, Santiago.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, was invited to give a seminar on “New Wine in Old Wine Skins?: The ASEAN IIAs, Investor Protection and Regulatory Flexibility” at the University of the Pacific, Lima, Peru.