Institute for International and Comparative Law
The Institute for International and Comparative Law at UCLan was founded in 2015 by Professors Salter and Zou, with the help of the International research team. This team consists of academics and PhD students here at UCLan who research international law.
The Institute for International and Comparative Law produces research of doctrinal, interdisciplinary and policy-related types. It also engages in the world of law, law enforcement and policy outside academia, including consultancy work. UCLan’s Law department is internationally-recognised and the institute enables members to contribute further to international legal scholarship and to provide consultancy and advice to governments, international organisations and NGOs on questions of international law. Our members contribute to the teaching of Undergraduate and Master’s courses in the School of Law and Social Science, and the supervisor of doctoral students.
International Symposium on “Blue Economic Sustainable Development along the Maritime Silk Road”, jointly organised by Institute for International and Comparative Law and the Confucius Institute, University of Central Lancashire, 9-10 May 2019, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
International Symposium on “Maritime Security and the Belt and Road Initiative: European Perspectives”, jointly organised by the Institute for International and Comparative Law and the Confucius Institute, University of Central Lancashire, 10 May 2018, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
International Symposium on “Maritime Silk Road: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia and Europe”, jointly organised by the Institute for International and Comparative Law and the Confucius Institute, University of Central Lancashire, and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, China, 4-5 May 2017, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
13 May 2015 'Chinese legal reforms and rule of law'
Conference Brochure available. The Institute for International and Comparative Law Centre will be publishing the May conference papers either as a special issue of an international refereed journal or as an edited book to be published by a prestigious international publisher.
Seminars Planned so far - ()Dates to follow
- 'Transnational human rights and security'
- 'Transnational commercial law'
- 'Trafficking in Human Beings'
- 'Politics of international war crimes prosecution and trials'
- Prof. Keyuan Zhou
- Dr. Mohammed Said
- Ian Turner
- Dr. Diane Scullion
- Yinan Yin
- Dr. Kim McGuire
- Prof. Helen Codd
- Dr. Susan Mary Twist
In May 2015, the Lancashire Law School officially (LLS) launched the Institute for International and Comparative Law (IICL) with an international conference bringing together scholars from across the research area.
The blog for the International and Comparative Law Institute is now available to view
- Professor Keyuan Zou acted as Co-Chair, ASEAN-China Working Group on Legal Principles on the Maritime Domain, 2nd Conference of Partnership for Regional Peace: Operationalizing ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Southeast Asia, jointly organized by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, and National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 18-19 January 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou spoke to the Symposium on ‘the Historic Rights and the South China Sea Arbitration’, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 24 January 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture on ‘Prevention and Suppression of Contemporary Piracy’ to the China-ASEAN Academy on Ocean Law and Governance Inaugural Program, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 25-31 January 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou acted as a leading Panelist, British Academy International Forum – South China Sea, organized by the British Academy, London, 10 March 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘State Practice in Deep Sea Mining: The Case of the People’s Republic of China’ to the 3rd Hamburg International Environmental Law Conference ‘A Sea Chang for Sustainable Ocean Resource Governance’, organized by Bucerius Law School et al, Hamburg, Germany, 15-16 April 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou spoke to the Roundtable on ‘The South China Sea Disputes: Current Status, Challenges and Prospects’, organized by the Chatham House, London, UK, 15 June 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels: China’s Practice’ to the 4th APOLIA Conference ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels: Asia-Pacific State Practice’, organized by the Zhejiang University Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhoushan, China, 22-23 June 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired Panel 1: The Belt and Road Initiative and the Use of the Oceans, The 5th ZJU Annual Ocean Law and Governance Symposium on ‘The Belt and Road Initiative and the Law of the Sea’, organized by the Zhejiang University Ocean College, Guanghua Law School and Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhoushan, China, 24-25 June 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘The Applicability of the Concept of Historic Rights in Contemporary International Law’ to the Public International Law Colloquium on Maritime Disputes Settlement, organized by Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and the Chinese Society of International Law, Hong Kong, 15-16 July 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper “Legal Implications of Historic Rights in the South China Sea Arbitration” to Conference on the South China Sea Arbitration: Its Legal, Political and Security Implications”, organized by National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, 18-19 July 2016
- Professor Keyuan Zou acted as Co-Chair for the ASEAN-China Working Group on Legal Principles on the Maritime Domain, 3rd Conference of Partnership for Regional Peace: Operationalizing ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Southeast Asia, jointly organized by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, and National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, Singapore, 21-22 July 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou was Keynote Speaker to the Workshop on ‘Impact of the South China Sea Arbitration Case and Its Response’, organized by the Nanjing University Collaborative Innovation Centre for South China Sea Studies, Nanjing, China, 25 July 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou acted as a Panelist at the Eminent Expert Meeting for Promoting Regional Cooperation for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity in East Asian Seas, organized by the Habibie Centre and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 July-2 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Impact of the South China Sea Arbitration Case upon the Development of the Contemporary International Law of the Sea’ to the Workshop on Discussion and Analysis of the Award of the South China Sea Arbitration, organized by State Oceanic Administration and the Law School of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, 4-5 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a lecture ‘Historic Rights and Status of the U-shaped Line’, lecture given to the Cross-Strait ‘South China Sea’ Summer Camp, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China, 7 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Impact of the South China Sea Arbitration Case upon the Development of the Contemporary International Law of the Sea’ to the 2016 Cross-Strait Workshop on South China Sea Issues, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 25-26 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture ‘Maritime Enforcement of the UN Security Council Resolutions’ to the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 26 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Implementing the London Dumping Convention in East Asia’ to the International Conference on ‘Marine Environmental Protection in Asia – Regional Implementation of IMO Conventions’, organized by the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, and Law of the Sea Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Singapore, 30-31 August 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Controversial Issues in the Development of the International Law of the Sea’ to the International Conference “Stress Testing the Law of the Sea: Dispute Resolution, Disasters and New Challenges", hosted by King's College London in collaboration with the Law of the Sea Institute at UC Berkeley, London, UK, 30 September-1 October 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Environmental Management for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations’ to International Seminar on Ocean Sciences Diplomacy (ISOSD): A novel approach of establishing a cooperative regime in the Asian Waters through ocean sciences to promote the regional peace, organized by the Korea Institute for Ocean Science & Technology, Seoul, Korea, 25-26 October 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture on the South China Sea Arbitration, delivered to the Koguan Law School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China, 28 October 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Peaceful Resolution of Maritime Disputes and UNCLOS’ to International Symposium on China and Development of International Dispute Resolution System in the Context of "the Belt and Road" Construction, organized by Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Law, Xi’an, China, 31 October-1 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired Panel III: Functional Cooperation, 4rd East Asia Maritime Security Forum, organized by the Nanjing University Collaborative Innovation Centre for South China Sea Studies, Nanjing, China, 2-4 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public lecture on the South China Sea Arbitration case, given to the Nanjing University Collaborative Innovation Centre for South China Sea Studies, Nanjing, China, 4 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public lecture on the South China Sea Arbitration case, given to the Guanghua Law School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 7 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘What if when a judicial body failed to administer justice: some reflections on the South China Sea arbitration’ to the International Conference on “The Law of the Sea and Emerging Issues”, organized by KoGuan Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, 10-11 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public lecture on the South China Sea Arbitration case, given to the Law School, Shandong University, Jinan, China, 12 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou made Keynote Speech on ‘Peaceful Resolution of Maritime Disputes and UNCLOS’, to the 5th IEODO International Seminar “Maritime Peace and Cooperation in East Asia”, organized by the Society of Ieodo Research and Korea Maritime Security Forum, Jeju Island, Korea, 16-18 November 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Revitalising Regional Cooperation for Marine Non-Living Resources in the South China Sea’ to the International Symposium on “The Belt and Road Initiative and the Common Development in the South China Sea Rim”, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, China in collaboration with the Institute for International and Comparative Law, University of Central Lancashire, UK, Haikou, China, 8-9 December 2016.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a lecture ‘South China Sea Disputes and the U-Shaped Line’ to the Law School of the University of Surrey, 12 May 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Maintaining Maritime Security for the Maritime Silk Road’ to the UK-China Law Forum: Legal Cooperation in the Context of One Belt One Road Initiative, organized by the Law School of Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK, 17-18 May 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper “Maritime Security Issues in the South China Sea” to the Workshop on “Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea”, organized by the Law School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK, 3 July 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘What Lessons Are Learned from the South China Sea Arbitration and Implications for the Settlement of Maritime Disputes in East Asia’ to the International Conference on ‘New Approaches to the South China Sea Conflicts’, organized by the Asian Studies Centre, St Antony’s College and China Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, 18-19 October 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at International Symposium on ‘Historic Rights and the Law of the Sea’, organized by the Zhejiang University Centre for Ocean Law and Governance/Guanghua Law School, Hangzhou, China, 28-29 October 2017
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at the 2017 China-Japan Ocean Forum, jointly organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Haikou, China, 8 November 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Reflections on the Reconstruction of the Legal Order in the South China Sea’ to the 2017 Cross-Strait South China Sea Forum, jointly organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and National Chengchi University, Haikou, China, 9-10 November 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at the 2017 Cross-Strait South China Sea Forum, jointly organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and National Chengchi University, Haikou, China, 9-10 November 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou spoke to the Workshop on Major Ocean Issues, organized by the Academy of Ocean of China, Beijing, China, 12 November 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Law of the Sea Practice in China: Developments and Prospects’ to the 2nd Forum on International Law in East Asia, organized by the Research Council on International Legal Order in East Asia, Tokyo, Japan, 18-19 November 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Revisiting Global Marine Commons Governance: A Legal Perspective’ to the KIOST International Seminar 2017: New Observations and New Applications, organized by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Busan, Korea, 4-5 December 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired Panel II: Challenges and Opportunities for 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, International Symposium on ‘Belt and Road Initiative and Common Development of the Greater South China Sea Region’, organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China, 7-8 December 2017.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Securing the Safety of Navigation along the Maritime Silk Road’ to the 42nd Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law & Policy: COOPERATION AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION, co-sponsored and coordinated by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia School of Law; the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (China); the Chinese Society of International Law; and the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Beijing, China, 23-26 May 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Lawfare v. Warfare in the South China Sea’ to the 1st Peking University Ocean Forum, organized by the Peking University Ocean Institute, Beijing, China, 25 May 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Joint Development in the South China Sea: Some Legal Considerations’ to the Shanghai Forum, organized by Fudan University, Shanghai, China, 26-28 May 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture on ‘Establishing a Maritime Order in the South China Sea’, delivered at the Institute of International Law, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, 30 May 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Environmental Management in the South China Sea’ to the IELoS – EULoS 2018 Workshop & Roundtable: ‘International Marine Environmental Law in a Regional Dimension: European and Asian Perspectives’, organized by University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy, 31 August 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Implementation of the Polar Code in Antarctic Waters’ to the International Conference on “Arctic and Antarctic Regions: New Challenges for Ocean Governance”, organized by Belgian Society of International Law, Brussels, Belgium, 3 September 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired Panel II: Dilemma and New Thinking of South China Sea Region Cooperation, the 6th South China Sea Region Cooperation Forum, organized by the Hainan Provincial Centre for International Cultural Exchanges, Haikou, China, 20 October 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture on ‘Community of Shared Human Future and the Law of the Sea System’, delivered at China Ocean University, Qingdao, China, 24 October 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at the International Symposium on ‘Marine Scientific Research and the Law of the Sea’, jointly organized by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhejiang University and the National Collaborative Centre for South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University, Hangzhou, China, 26-27 October 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou gave a Public Lecture on ‘How to Conduct Law of the Sea Studies’ to the Law School, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China, 29 October 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Role of ITLOS in Maritime Dispute Settlement and Lessons for Asian States’ to the 2018 ROK-ITLOS International Conference on the Law of the Sea: Development of the law of the Sea and the Role of the ITLOS, organised by the Korean Foreign Ministry and Korean Society of International Law, Seoul, South Korea, 14-15 November 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou gave a Public lecture on ‘Legal Issues in the South China Sea’, delivered to the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath, Bath, 29 November 2018.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Safety of Navigation along the Maritime Silk Road’ to the Interdisciplinary Conference on the Belt and Road Initiative, organised by Confucius Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, 6 June 2019.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Energy Security and the Belt and Road Initiative’ to the 3rd Energy Forum organised by the CEPLEP, University of Dundee, Dundee, 10-11 June 2019.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at the International Symposium on ‘Rule of Law and the Law of the Sea’, organised by the Dalian Maritime University Law School, Dalian, China, 27-28 June 2019.
- Professor Keyuan Zou presented a paper ‘Transboundary Fisheries Management: China’s Practice’ to the 7th APOLIA Conference, jointly organised by the Dalian Maritime University and the Korean Institute for Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian, China, 29 June 2019.
- Professor Keyuan Zou chaired a panel at the Conference on Community of Shared Future for Humankind and the Law of the Sea, organised by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 5 July 2019.
- Professor Keyuan Zou delivered a Public Lecture on Historic Rights in International Law to National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Hainan, China, 17 October 2019.
- Shicun Wu and Keyuan Zou (eds.), Arbitration concerning the South China Sea: Philippines versus China (Aldershot, United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing, 2016), xii, 290 pp.
- Keyuan Zou (ed.), Sustainable Development and the Law of the Sea (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2016), xvii, 306pp.
- Fu-Kuo Liu, Keyuan Zou, Shicun Wu and Jonathan Spangler (eds.), South China Sea Lawfare: Post-Arbitration Policy Options and Future Prospects (Taipei: South China Sea Think Tank, April 2017), 231pp.
- Keyuan Zou (ed.), Global Commons and the Law of the Sea (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2018), xxiv, 349pp.
- Ted McDorman, Keyuan Zou and Seokwoo Lee (eds.), Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels: Asia-Pacific State Practice (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2019), xiv, 245pp.
- Keyuan Zou (ed.), Maritime Cooperation in Semi-Enclosed Seas: Asian and European Experiences (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2019), xvii, 254pp.
- Keyuan Zou, Shicun Wu and Qiang Ye (eds.), The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia and Europe (Routledge, 2019), xvii, 272pp.
- Keyuan Zou (ed.), The Belt and Road Initiative and the Law of the Sea (Brill, 2020), xvii, 220pp.