Man of the law

Eugene Clark brings an international legal perspective to many China projects and institutions

Legal expert Eugene Clark, 68, has been involved with teaching and research in and about China for two decades.

As an active commentator on China issues, he was invited to Beijing in June to give a presentation at a conference that focused on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and its impact upon China.

Clark is a fellow of the Australia Academy of Law and a professor emeritus at the University of Canberra, where he was formerly pro vice-chancellor. He is on the board of three international journals and a member of the Legal Education Committee of the Law Council of Australia. Born in the United States, he is now a citizen of both the US and Australia.

Clark's direct interaction with China started in 1995, when he received a China Links grant from the Australian government as part of a team of legal academics from the University of Canberra who formed a partnership with China University of Political Science and Law.

Experts from both sides engaged in various collaborative activities, including hosting conferences in Beijing and Canberra, producing special issues of publications that focused on China-Australia comparative law.

Clark recalls making many friends in those early exchanges with China, which led to his later work in the country.

"We shared networks to build bridges of understanding and cooperation between Australia and China," he says.

His interest in China germinated when he moved to Australia from the US in the mid-1970s and noticed the growing involvement of both countries with China.

"Australia's geographic position makes China especially important. Historically, too, the presence and contribution of Chinese immigrants to Australia's economy and society have been significant," he adds.

In 2012, he was appointed distinguished professor at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, and became the university's first Global 1,000 Talents scholar. The 1,000 Talents program was initiated by the Chinese government to recruit global experts.

Besides teaching undergraduate and postgraduate classes, he has published articles in international journals, several of which were co-authored with Chinese scholars, and he assisted the university in building relations with international universities.

After his three-years as a Global 1,000 scholar ended, Clark continued to visit China periodically to attend conferences, and has been a visiting professor of law at the university since 2015.

During his time in China, Clark has had the opportunity to visit different universities and tour many historical and cultural sites around the country.

"In the 20-year period since I first came to China, I have seen how dramatically the country has changed," Clark says. "I have also come to appreciate the immense size and vastness of China. I appreciate now that there are many Chinas. In each province, the food, the history, the industry, the geography, the cultural traditions and the dialect are wonderfully diverse and continuing to evolve, while at the same time each contributes to the whole."

Over the past few years, Clark has been a columnist for China.org.cn, a multilingual news website. He writes and comments on 21st century China, including the country's legal and political reforms, education, the economy and life in general. He often takes a global event and discusses its potential impact on China. His research sources are multifaceted, including recent books, discussions with other experts, law review articles, media reports of developments in China and international conferences. His articles on law and education enjoy significant readership. Several times, his articles became the website's most-read opinion pieces of the week.

Some of the articles were selected for publication in the book Reflections on 21st Century China, which was published in 2015. Now a second edition of the book is being prepared in both Chinese and English. "I am excited about that," Clark says.

Clark has done research on developments in China's internet law. He has been most impressed with the great legislative strides that have occurred to facilitate the development of e-commerce in the country.

Changes have included legal reforms governing consumer protection, privacy protection, intellectual property protection, establishing specialized IP courts, enforceability of e-contracts, promotion of international arbitration, development of e-government and especially the use of social media, he says.

The spread of e-commerce is playing a major role as China shifts from an externally focused manufacturing economy to a more internally focused service-based economy, he says.

He suggests that Chinese administrative agencies and standard-setting groups must "provide useful and necessary guidance" to help with the interpretation and enforcement of the law in the future.

Clark is working as the dean of a law school at a private educational institution in Australia that is owned partly by Chinese investors. Most of its students and employees are of Chinese origin. It plans to establish a center that will engage in research and scholarship focused on China.

"I'll continue to research and learn about China," says Clark, who has many Chinese friends in both countries. "China will always be in my heart and memories."

Contact the writer at liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 11/18/2016 page20)