Two major initiatives in China are gaining momentum inside and outside of the country. Internally, China’s judiciary has been leading an “open judiciary” initiative, culminating in the establishment of the Guiding Cases System, in which judges are instructed to follow Guiding Cases (“GCs”), de facto binding cases, to achieve the goals of transparency, consistency, and impartiality. To date, hundreds of court cases in China have referenced these GCs, as the civil law country that previously focused solely on statutes gradually develops its own version of a case-focused system. Externally, the Chinese leadership has rolled out the “Belt and Road” initiative, flexing its muscles to increase China’s economic leverage in countries along the newly defined “Silk Road” and “Maritime Belt”. To facilitate the expansion of Chinese investments, fundamental changes to the country’s foreign investment regime are taking place and representative court cases involving parties from “Belt and Road” countries are being released to showcase how these foreign parties’ interests are protected. Seemingly attracted by the opportunities to strengthen their economic and other ties with China, approximately 50 countries have joined the “Belt and Road” initiative.
What are the significant implications of these initiatives for governance in China and in countries along the “Belt and Road” routes? Drawing on theoretical and empirical studies, Dr. Mei Gechlik, Founder and Director of the China Guiding Cases Project (“CGCP”), and Jennifer Ingram, Co-Managing Editor and Fellow of the CGCP, will discuss these issues at the World Bank on Monday, February 20, 2017. Their insights, together with comments shared by discussant Dr. James V. Feinerman, the James M. Morita Professor of Asian Legal Studies at Georgetown University Law Center, promise to make this event informative and thought-provoking.