A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.
This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Jeremy Daum, senior research scholar in law and senior fellow at Yale University's Paul Tsai China Center. Jeremy runs ChinaLawTranslate.com, a Wiki-style resource for translations of Chinese laws and regulations and an invaluable resource not just for legal scholars but for anyone interested in understanding China's policy direction. In a wide-ranging conversation, Jeremy talks about why the law remains important despite frequent assertions that there is no rule of law in China, critiques the "techno-authoritarian" narrative on China, and offers an informed take on the much-maligned "social credit system." Jeremy's work on the social credit system has earned him a reputation as a debunker, and in this episode, he makes clear what the system is and is not.
3:28 – The ChinaLawTranslate.com project and its origins
5:21 – Why does the law matter in China?
10:09 – The technology narrative in Xinjiang
13:12 – Can the U.S. learn anything from Chinese law?
17:59 – Juvenile law and the Chinese conception of the state's role in the family
24:13 – The paternalistic conception of law and the COVID-19 response in China
28:49 – Mythbusting and the social credit system
42:21 – China's Plea Leniency System and the case for engagement in jurisprudence
A transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com.
Recommendations:
Jeremy: The Fixer, a novel by Bernard Malamud
Kaiser: Going back to basics: Chinese stir-fry lessons on the YouTube channel "Chinese Cooking Demystified"
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