China Seminar | 11 September 2014

China Dream: Rule of Law – Reality or Dream?

Lawrence C. Foster

China’s government, legal scholars, and public have been discussing the role of the rule of law in China almost since the founding of the PRC in 1949. What progress has been made over the decades and what hope is there for the rule of law in China? The term has been enshrined in China’s constitution for some time, but, like the U.S. constitution, sometimes what happens in the constitution stays in the constitution; defining and realizing a constitutional right can take a long time.

Lawrence C. Foster started to learn Chinese and made his first trip to Asia (Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong) in the 1960s. His education includes a Ph.D. in Chinese language and literature and a law degree. Larry’s professional career includes a professorship of Chinese language and literature, a lawyer and Dean and professor of the UH Law School. From 2005 to 2013, while living in Shanghai, Larry was a Senior Consultant at a major international Chinese law firm and a mentor for young Chinese lawyers. He has also been an affiliate professor at Beijing University’s School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, China. Larry is an elected member of the governing council of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, a past-President of the international alumni association of EWC, a member of Law Asia and the American Bar Association’s China Law Committee, and a trustee for Tokai University in Honolulu.