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Feb 17, 2023
This article will outline the development of China’s restrictions on the cross-border transfer of personal information (PI export), detailing PI export mechanisms provided by the Personal Information Protection Law. It will also explain the practical implications of the restrictions.
2nd IBA African Competition Law Conference
Dec 04, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly in China, with the number of patents and the size of the market both ranking highly among countries. However, this rapid development has posed new challenges to the legal framework, ethical norms and social governance, prompting China to continuously adjust and improve the relevant regulatory system.
Oral advocacy, cross examination and the emergence of AI in dispute resolution
Jun 12, 2024
The new Foreign State Immunity Law 2023 of the People’s Republic of China came into force on 1 January 2024. This shifts the country (as well as its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau) away from absolute state immunity to restrictive state immunity, bringing it more in line with the relatively prevalent practice among the international community. This article discusses the status of state immunity in public international law, analyses the new law’s provisions and examines practical challenges that will be faced by those seeking to utilise this law to enforce judgments or awards against foreign states and state entities, and the new law’s innovations that go beyond the United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property of 2004 and the UK State Immunity Act 1978.
IBA Judges Forum: In defence of justice
Mar 13, 2024
A once ragtag group of minority rebels in Yemen is becoming a serious threat to supply chains, the shipping industry and – given its dependence on maritime trade – potentially to the global economy too.
2nd IBA African Competition Law Conference
Global fuel prices have soared following Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping channel for the world's oil supply. The blockade and its consequences have highlighted the volatility of the world's energy markets, particularly in times of conflict, as previously demonstrated by the Russia-Ukraine war.
IBA Next Generation Legal Summit: Building your professional future in a changing world – a law firm management perspective
Jun 09, 2024
In the Chinese legal system, provisions addressing commercial bribery are dispersed across various legal instruments and judicial interpretations. Among the different legal authorities in China, the core provisions guiding anti-corruption can be found in the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and its draft Amendment (issued in 2022 and still open for public comment); the Criminal Law of China, along with its amendments; and the Supervision Law of China and its accompanying regulations for implementation.
Competition Law in Africa Conference: regulatory developments and enforcement trends across the continent
Apr 29, 2024
The impact of rebel attacks on global trade and relations
Competition Law in Africa Conference: regulatory developments and enforcement trends across the continent

Jul 08, 2025
Mediation is on the rise internationally as a means to settle disputes in a cost-effective manner. Chinese parties appear to be increasingly interested in mediation as an option. This article examines the evolving landscape of mediation in China and internationally. It considers how mediation for Chinese parties is evolving and whether mediation is a good option for Chinese parties in cross-border disputes. Commercial mediation has seen remarkable growth, bolstered by a supportive PRC judicial system and legislative initiatives encouraging parties to find harmonious ways to resolve disputes. The article analyses the three primary types of mediation in China: people’s mediation, administrative mediation, and commercial mediation. It also looks at mediation rules and proceedings in common law jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. The article anecdotally considers the cultural elements, emphasising the Chinese parties’ preference for evaluative mediation styles as a reflection of civil law. Through case studies of international disputes involving Chinese and US parties, the article illustrates the practical dynamics of mediation involving Chinese parties and underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in international mediation. As Chinese parties continue to go global, mediation is emerging as an attractive option for efficient and cost-effective dispute resolution. This analysis assesses whether the promotion of mediation is yielding tangible outcomes and explores the future of mediation involving Chinese and foreign parties.
2nd IBA African Competition Law Conference
By Yi-An (Ann) Lai. Alipay and the impact of e-payment systems resulting in new regulations in China and other jurisdictions.
This session will focus on the growth in Europe of emerging disruptive technologies in the defence sector, the journey it has to travel to match other major global powers, the awareness of the critical importance of defence technology with the challenges that Europe is facing, how regulators will seek to regulate this growing sector, the availability of funding for companies and the potential for Soonicorns to emerge.
6th Annual IBA European Start-up Conference
Apr 07, 2021
The Middle East has presented violently unpredictable challenges for recent US Presidents. Already, the Biden administration has begun to confront them by ringing the changes.
Law firms’ ESG decisions in our current geopolitical environment: a follow-up discussion after the US presidential elections
May 21, 2024
The 26th Transnational Crime Conference, which took place between 8–10 May 2024 in Milan, Italy, was a resounding success. In fact, it has become the most well-attended international criminal law conference in the IBA’s history!
IBA Judges Forum: In defence of justice
HumanRightsConflicts between regional courts and national courts/governments (eg the recent Alex Saab extradition case involving Cape Verde and the ECOWAS court) and government failures to comply with the judgements of regional courts like the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the (now neutered) SADC Tribunal – this has potential implications for the AfCFTA.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
Law firm ESG decisions in the current geopolitical and economic environment (autumn 2025 edition)
A discussion on new and important theories of harm; the role of public interest criteria in merger assessments; and appropriate remedies to the issue.
Competition Law in Africa Conference: regulatory developments and enforcement trends across the continent
This session is about the increasing use by clients of ethics criteria when selecting lawyers. Clients may look at track records of fraud and corruption, disciplinary or regulatory history and environmental, social and governance (ESG), ranging from diversity and inclusion standards to sustainability commitments.
• How do clients apply ethics criteria in practice?
• What policies do they use and what are the experiences?
• What does this mean for law firms and for lawyers?
• Which dilemma’s do they face when it comes to privacy? Or when it comes to acting on other (potentially) controversial matters?
• Can a law firm be too ethical and ‘prize’ itself out of the market?
We will discuss these questions with clients and managing partners of law firms.
2nd IBA Global Professional Ethics Symposium
This panel is for many the highlight of the conference. What is keeping our clients awake at night? This is where the lawyers from private practice in our audience hear what their clients are worrying about and what they want to see from their outside counsel. The in-house lawyers in our audience will pick up on the trends and challenges that their counterparts in major sponsor houses are tackling currently.
IBA Private Equity Transactions Symposium 2024
This panel is for many the highlight of the conference. What is keeping our clients awake at night? This is where the lawyers from private practice in our audience hear what their clients are worrying about and what they want to see from their outside counsel. The in-house lawyers in our audience will pick up on the trends and challenges that their counterparts in major sponsor houses are tackling currently.
IBA Private Equity Transactions Symposium 2025
How can lawyers and the international legal community contribute to shaping Ukraine’s legal system, ensuring justice, and building a robust framework for sustainable post-war recovery. On this panel we will discuss the following issues:
- Drafting legislation and policies for short- and long-term reforms;
- strengthening the independence of the judiciary;
- addressing post-war property rights and land disputes;
- defending human rights, accessing post-war reparations and damages (including environmental damage);
- harmonising legislation with EU standards;
- providing legal support for investments and economic development (including public-private partnerships).
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
The session will take stock of the developments made in cross-border legal practice up to now, reviewing the jurisdictions having opened their legal services market to the practice of foreign lawyers and law firms and assessing what the experience has been. The session will also discuss the rising challenges to globalisation (eg, sanctions, decoupling and de-dollarisation) and the impact, if any, on trade in legal services.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
The panel will explore the differences of the rules of neutrality among these three professions; what institutions do/should do to safeguard such neutrality and whether (and what) we can learn from one another.
3rd IBA Global Professional Ethics Symposium
A hands-off pro-arbitration stance from courts and institutions was arguably necessary as arbitration evolved as a dispute resolution process, but has this gone too far? For example, current and anticipated procedural reforms in England make the process of challenging awards – already very difficult – even more so. Institutions scrutinize arbitral awards to varying different degrees, and in some instances not at all. As commercial arbitration in particular is typically confidential, there may be little public scrutiny of outcomes. Are there sufficient safeguards on the arbitral process? What risk is there that the arbitration process becomes something which goes against the parties’ reasonable expectations without recourse, and does the pro-arbitration stance need to be revisited?
26th Annual IBA Arbitration Day: Redefining the contours of international arbitration
Law Firm Management Committee Latin America Conference - Building the law firm of the future
Urban warfare: challenges for the protection of civilians
IBA ESG Accelerator Training Programme: Governance
Managing a law firm in Africa: key drivers of profitability and better business development
As we emerge from the unprecedented storm of pandemic based market disruptions – and in the midst of a war in Europe, ratcheting tensions in the Pacific and a looming recession in the West – the industry and practice of private equity (PE) continues to evolve rapidly. From the immediate boost in biotech and remote technologies to the short-term glimmer of special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and increasing growth and prominence of secondaries, the overlapping crises seem to have accelerated change. What lies ahead? Experts from a top PE fund in Japan and leading law firms in Hong Kong, India and Japan discuss recent trends in Asia in the PE industry and dealmaking in a novel, open and highly interactive format moderated by US and European deal lawyers.
Asia Pacific Mergers & Acquisitions Conference
M&A and FDI in India — the key concerns and recommendations
This session is organised to discuss possible role of lawyers in using law and legal procedures to broker peace talks/ bring war crimes to justice and related issues.
Don't forget to attend SPPI Showcase - Law not war: part 1
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Digital market regulations in Europe − particularly the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act − are designed to limit the dominance of major gatekeepers, strengthen competition and enhance user protection. However, their implementation continues to face notable challenges. Meanwhile, digital market regulation in the US is currently characterised by a shift away from comprehensive, proactive legislation (like the EU's Digital Markets Act) toward a reliance on traditional, ex-post antitrust enforcement often influenced by political, economic and trade-related debates. Whereas in Africa, the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission adopted new digital markets regulations in December 2025 aimed at overseeing gatekeepers operating within the COMESA region.
The panel will explore the current challenges facing digital market regulations, discuss ways to enhance regulatory frameworks and assess the effectiveness of these measures from both European, American and African perspectives. It will also consider how competition authorities can administer enforcement penalties, promote fair and balanced regulation without slowing innovation, address data privacy concerns and manage the interests of both gatekeepers and consumers.
20th Annual IBA Competition Mid-Year Conference
The independence of the legal profession is a critical requirement for maintaining the rule of law. An important subset of the independence of the legal profession is the independence of the judiciary. One particularly invidious form of attack is the subtle and non-obvious approach of undermining or hijacking the judicial appointments process. Where the judicial appointments process is unduly influenced or controlled, it results in the appointment of judicial officers who have lost their independence even before they get onto the bench, as they are beholden to those who facilitate their appointments. These facilitators could be members of the executive arm of government, influential politicians or businessmen, or sitting or past judicial officers.
This approach to undermining judicial independence is coming to a head now in Israel, where the Executive arm of government is no longer relying on subtlety but is seeking to take absolute control of the judicial appointments process and to arrogate powers to itself to overrule judicial decisions.
Please note that even if you are unable to join the Annual Conference, you can still register for the Rule of Law Symposium for free. If you are NOT already registered for the Annual Conference and would like to attend the Rule of Law Symposium, you must pre-register by Wednesday 1 November by completing the Rule of Law Symposium registration form. There is no registration fee to attend the Symposium.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
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