Yale and Tulane law professors discuss China's economic plans

Law scholars from Yale and Tulane were in China recently for an international law conference aimed at advancing human rights and dignity around the world.

Tulane Law School and Yale Law School partnered with Zhejiang University in Hangzhou for a second year to organize the event, which is designed to explore ways law and public policy can advance human dignity.

This year’s conference focused on international law questions related to China’s “One Belt, One Road” trade policy that is intended to drastically expand Chinese exports to developing markets.

The conference drew legal scholars from the U.S., Asia, Australia and Europe to tackle a number of issues China faces in implementing the nation’s ambitious economic plan, which is a modern re-imagining of the Silk Road of the ancient world.

The conference featured a series of breakout sessions that covered the themes of international commercial contracts, cyberlaw, how Chinese judges can operate in an international environment, railway disputes, economic espionage and international customs enforcement.

China launched the “One Belt, One Road” initiative in 2013 in hopes of increasing economic relations with more than 60 nations across Asia, Africa and Europe. The plan calls for better infrastructure for international trade routes, which China is helping develop alongside those partner nations. The goal is to gain better access to emerging markets for Chinese goods.