Profile

Graduated as a PhD from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, Professor Wenhua Shan is currently Vice President of the Judicial Case Academy of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China, on secondment from Xi'an Jiaotong University where he serves as Assistant President of the University, founding Dean of the School of Law, and Yangtze River Chair Professor of International Economic Law (by Ministry of Education, China). His research area is international and comparative law, particularly investment and trade laws. He has published over a dozen books by English and Chinese publishers including Oxford University Press (OUP) and numerous articles in journals such the European Journal of International Law and American Journal of Comparative Law.

As a "State Specially Recruited Expert" and "State Council Special Allowance Expert" by the Central Government of China, Arbitrator of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Legal Advisor of the People's Government of Shaanxi Province and Senior Counsel of Beijing Kangda (Xi'an) Law Firm, Professor Shan has practiced international and Chinese laws since 1992. He has led a team to provide comprehensive support for the Chinese government on certain key investment treaty negotiations, and for the CIETAC in the drafting of the CIETAC International Investment Arbitration Rules. He also advised foreign governments, international organizations, and transnational corporations on international investment, trade and arbitration matters.

Professor Shan is Senior Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge, UK; a Titular Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL, The Hague); a Member of the American Law Institute; President of the Commission for Selection and Disciplining of Judges and Prosecutors of Shaanxi Province; Vice President of the Chinese Society of International Economic Law (CSIEL); and a Member of the Executive Councils of the Asian Society of International Law and Chinese Society of International Law. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of The Chinese Journal of Comparative Law (OUP); Editor-in-General of the "China and International Economic Law Series" (Hart) and "Silk Road Studies in International Economic Law" (Martinus Nijhoff/BRILL); and a Member of the Advisory Editorial Board of the ICSID Review: Foreign Investment Law Journal (OUP). He is also an Expert of the WEF/ICTSD E15 Task Force on Investment Policy, an International Advisor for the Fourth Restatement of the U.S. Foreign Relations Law, and a Core Adviser for the IBA Subcommittee on Investment Treaty Arbitration.

Professor Shan is a frequent speaker and has talked at European Parliament (Testimony on EU-China investment treaty), International Congress of Comparative Law (General Report on the Protection of Foreign Investment), Energy Charter Ministerial Conference (ISDS Reform), UNCTAD/APEC Regional IIA Training Course, American Society of International Law (ASIL) Annual Conference and the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) Biennial Conference, among others.