[SMULA] ASEAN Cities and International Law <Liu Nengye>

In recent years, ‘cities and international law’ has become a rich and diverse research field (Aust & Nijman, 2021). In the contemporary international order, western cities, such as the Hague – “the Legal Capital of the World” (van Krieken & McKay), continue to play a key role in shaping contemporary international law. However, the existing literature, to large extent, focuses on western cities, especially European cities.  

Join this webinar as we shift the spotlight from European capitals to ASEAN – one of the world's most rapidly urbanizing regions and an engine of economic growth. This session will examine the role of major ASEAN cities, such as Singapore, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok in the international legal order from two dimensions: 1) the impact of ASEAN cities on the international legal order and 2) how major cities in ASEAN address the challenges of urbanisation through international law.
   
   

SPEAKER

Associate Professor LIU Nengye teaches and conducts research on the law of the sea and international environmental law at SMU Yong Pung How School of Law. Prof LIU has taken the lead to edit three books: “The European Union and the Arctic” (Brill, 2017), “Governing Marine Living Resources in the Polar Regions” (Edward Elgar, 2019); “The Law of the Sea and the Planetary Crisis” (Routledge, 2025); published 50+ refereed journal articles (e.g., International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Leiden Journal of International Law, Transnational Environmental Law, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Review of European Comparative and International Environmental Law) and book chapters (e.g., Cambridge University Press, Hart); and delivered 100+ presentations about his research findings across five continents. Prof LIU is regularly covered by international media, including, for example, BBC, ABC News, The Atlantic, Strait Times and Channel News Asia (CNA). He sits on the editorial board of Marine Policy (Elsevier), Ocean Development and International Law (Taylor & Francis) and Polar Record (Cambridge University Press). Prof Liu is the Founding Chair of Steering Committee of Asia Pacific Research Alliance on Law and Sustainability (2024 – present) and the Founding Director of Singapore Sustainable Futures Initiative (2025 – present) at SMU’s Centre for Commercial Law in Asia. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Law of the Sea Interest Group, American Society of International Law (2025 – 2028) and a Member of International Law Association Committee Urbanisation and International Law – Potentials and Pitfalls (2024 – 2028).
 

FEES

The SMU Law Academy has an established track record of providing the legal profession with high quality seminars and other opportunities to remain fully informed about contemporary legal developments in Singapore and beyond. Its carefully curated listing of seminars is developed with the profession’s multi-faceted needs in mind and meets the requirements of the CPD scheme. The Academy also administers the Auditing Scheme which enables members of the legal profession to consolidate and upgrade their understanding of the law by auditing courses in the School’s LL.B., J.D. and LL.M. programmes. For an overview of upcoming SMU Law Academy events, please click here.


 

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