• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts
China Business Review
  • Operations
    Multinational Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic China

    Multinational Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic China

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency: MIIT’s Ambitions for 2021 and Beyond

    Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency: MIIT’s Ambitions for 2021 and Beyond

    The Growing Intersection of Digital Health and Data Processing in China

    The Growing Intersection of Digital Health and Data Processing in China

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    China Cracks Down on Education Industry in Effort to Increase Birthrate

    China Cracks Down on Education Industry in Effort to Increase Birthrate

    The Extraordinary Rise of China’s Pet Industry

    The Extraordinary Rise of China’s Pet Industry

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
    Multinational Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic China

    Multinational Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic China

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency: MIIT’s Ambitions for 2021 and Beyond

    Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency: MIIT’s Ambitions for 2021 and Beyond

    The Growing Intersection of Digital Health and Data Processing in China

    The Growing Intersection of Digital Health and Data Processing in China

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

    China Cracks Down on Education Industry in Effort to Increase Birthrate

    China Cracks Down on Education Industry in Effort to Increase Birthrate

    The Extraordinary Rise of China’s Pet Industry

    The Extraordinary Rise of China’s Pet Industry

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
China Business Review
No Result
View All Result
Home US-China Business Council

US-China Legal Cooperation Fund

Christina Nelson by Christina Nelson
January 1, 2013
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterLinkedin

A Legacy of Support for the Rule of Law in China

By Anne Phelan

In the spring of 1999, when the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund issued its first call for grant proposals, there were only a handful of American organizations funding projects to promote the rule of law in China. But there were dozens of American and Chinese law schools, research institutes, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with innovative ideas about how to reform China’s legal institutions and processes. The proposals they submitted in that initial round—and in the 25 rounds that followed—demonstrated the diversity of ideas available to advance the rule of law in China.

At their 1997 and 1998 summit meetings, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jiang Zemin announced a commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of law. More than 30 American corporations and firms—all members of the US-China Business Council—responded quickly to that call for action, and their contributions laid the foundation for the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund in late 1998. The new fund sought to seed the bilateral cooperation the two presidents described, through projects jointly conducted by American and Chinese partners. In subsequent years, more than 40 companies and firms demonstrated their support for the rule of law in China through contributions to the fund.

Expanding economic ties between the two countries—especially after China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001—catalyzed growing interest in the legal framework for trade and investment. With support from the fund, American and Chinese partners have educated legal professionals and law students on intellectual property rights, securities law, commercial dispute resolution, WTO rules, government procurement law, and other topics. Yet the fund’s scope also has reached beyond the business sector, and grants have enabled American and Chinese partners to address criminal law, labor rights, environmental protection, and civil society development, as well as expand access to legal aid services.

Access to government information has been a recurring theme of projects supported by the fund. A partnership between law library staff at Washington University and the National Library of China offers a case in point. In 2006, the libraries began to hold annual forums on disseminating government information for scholars, government officials, librarians and information specialists. The forums introduced the US federal government publication depository system, the Freedom of Information Act, and other tools for disclosure of government information in the American context, generating discussions on how similar tools could be developed in China. This collaboration has had a tangible impact: Some local Chinese governments have set up information depository systems in public libraries and the National Digital Library, under the National Library of China, has created the Chinese Government Public Information Online portal to gather and electronically publish central and local government information.

Even small grants play a role in promoting the rule of law. That is another lesson gleaned from the fund’s 13-year history of grantmaking. For instance, Chinese citizens often are unaware of the legal protections available to people living with HIV/AIDS, or what options are available when victims encounter discrimination. Asia Catalyst, an American NGO, and the Beijing-based Korekata AIDS Law Center used initial support from the fund to staff a hotline that provided people with information on these rights. Later, they developed a curriculum to train advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS. Their hands-on training manuals instruct users on how to recognize when legally protected rights are violated, gather data to document discrimination, and conduct educational and advocacy campaigns. The manuals form a centerpiece for Asia Catalyst and the Korekata AIDS Law Center’s train-the-trainer and NGO coaching workshops, and are available in print or electronic format for others to use in their advocacy efforts.

New opportunities for collaboration have grown substantially. Today, some of the fund’s earliest grantees are able to undertake larger-scale efforts. International Bridges for Justice (IBJ), for example, first began collaborating with Chinese legal aid centers in 2001, with support from the fund. A decade later, IBJ estimates that its partnerships have trained more than 11,000 legal professionals and advised more than 59,000 individuals on their rights. More funders have brought additional, often substantial, resources to the rule-of-law field; the US government, for example, allocated $6.2 million for rule-of-law and good governance projects in China in 2010.

As a result, the fund’s small-scale, seed money approach is less necessary in the current program environment supporting the development of the rule of law in China. The fund’s trustees have decided to wind down the fund’s operations. As the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund brings its own work to a close—after awarding a total of $1.7 million for 125 projects—its sponsors can find satisfaction knowing that the early seeds of support they planted will continue to bear fruit for years to come.

(Photo by trevor.patt via Flickr)

Anne Phelan ([email protected]) is a New York-based writer and consultant to nonprofit organizations. She served as executive secretary of the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund from 2009 to 2012.

Tags: NGOs
Christina Nelson

Christina Nelson

Next Post

Developing a Smart Approach to Market Entry for American SMEs

Recommended.

Reflections on the Phase One Agreement

January 20, 2022

Can China’s Beleaguered Gaming Industry Overcome the New Wave of Restrictions?

November 29, 2021

From Reshoring to Rightshoring: Dr. Sara Hsu on the Future of US-China Supply Chains

August 4, 2021

China Cracks Down on Education Industry in Effort to Increase Birthrate

July 22, 2021

Latest Podcasts.

What does the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity actually entail?

June 28, 2022

A benchmark on how companies are coping with Omicron

May 18, 2022

How companies are approaching China’s changing cyber landscape

May 12, 2022

What does the future of US-China decoupling look like?

May 5, 2022
China Business Review

China Business Review is the official magazine of the US-China Business Council, a nonprofit and nonpartisan trade association that represents more than 200 American companies doing business in China.

  • How to contribute to China Business Review

Categories

  • Bilateral Relations
  • Business Etiquette
  • CBR Spotlight
  • China Deals
  • Corruption
  • Cybersecurity
  • Ecommerce
  • Environment
  • Finance
  • Galleries
  • Getting Started
  • HR & Staffing
  • Infographics
  • Innovation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Management
  • Media
  • Operations
  • Opinion
  • Policy & Regulations
  • Politics
  • PR & Marketing
  • Rural Issues
  • Safety
  • Social Policy
  • Society
  • Standards + Licensing
  • Sustainability
  • Tax
  • Tech
  • Top Story
  • Trade
  • Uncategorized
  • US-China Business Council
  • Videos

Tags

Agreements Agriculture Alibaba Best Practices Business Environment China China's Investments Abroad China Market Intelligence Chinese Consumers Chinese Investment Commentary Consumer Trends E-Commerce Economic Trends Energy Environment Events Food Foreign Investment Going Global Healthcare Reform Human Resources Infrastructure Internet Interview Investment Investments into China IPO Joint Venture Labor Legal Analysis M&A Manufacturing Media National People's Congress Q&A Strategic and Economic Dialogue Supply Chains Technology Trade Transparency US-China Relations USCBC US Exports to China Xi Jinping

Join our Mailing List

Sign up for the US-China Business Council's newsletters to stay ahead of the game with roundups, analysis, and commentary.

Sign Up

Follow Us

  • About
  • USCBC
  • Submit a Story
  • Archive

© 2021 China Business Review

No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Society
  • Media
  • Podcasts

© 2021 China Business Review