The international economic regime has entered a new phase of reassertion of sovereignty by States. This phase is especially prominent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While States continue to show respect for the values of international (economic) law, the institutionalization of these values has devolved from the international (to the regional) to the domestic level of governance. A new form of ‘unilateral economic law’ is thus gaining importance in the development of international and domestic laws and institutions.

This seminar aims to celebrate the launch of the special issue of Journal of International Economic Law on unilateral economic law focusing on Special Economic Zones.

We have engaged leading experts from Qatar, the UK, India, and Hong Kong China:

Speakers

Associate Professor Georgios Dimitropoulos at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University: ‘Special Economic Zones in International Economic Law: Towards Unilateral Economic Law’

Principal Researcher Lorenzo Cotula at the International Institute for Environment and Development and Dr Liliane Mouan at the Coventry University: ‘Labour Rights in Special Economic Zones: Between Unilateralism and Transnational Law Diffusion’

Professor James J. Nedumpara at the Jindal Global Law School and Professor Leïla Delphine Choukroune at the University of Portsmouth: ‘WTO Litigation and SEZs: Determining the Scope of Exceptional Trade Unilateralism’

Professor Julien Laurent Chaisse at the City University of Hong Kong: ‘Dangerous Liaisons: The Story of Special Economic Zones, International Investment Agreements, and Investor–State Dispute Settlement’

Moderator

Associate Professor Jie (Jeanne) Huang at the University of Sydney Law School (published The Latest Generation of SEZs: Consumer-Oriented Unilateralism in China’s E-Commerce Trade in the special issue).

Webinar date and time: Wednesday 8 September 2021, 5-6.15pm AEST

You will receive Zoom details closer to the date of the event.

This event is sponsored by the Centre for Asian and Pacific Law at the Sydney Law School.