Dr. Jia XU (associate researcher of Institute of International Law) has been invited to participate in the annual research forum of European Society of International Law on 3-5 April 2019 in Göttingen, Germany. She presented a speech entitled ‘One Step Forward and Two Steps Back? - Evolution of Bilateral Safeguard Provisions in Preferential Trade Agreements’ in the workshop of the ESIL Interest Group of International Economic Law. In this speech, Dr. Jia XU introduced the dynamic of bilateral safeguard provisions in the major preferential trade agreements in different period of time. By means of examining the bilateral safeguard provisions in preferential trade agreements from the major world trade partners and the trade hubs, Dr. Jia XU systemizes the bilateral safeguard provisions and evaluates them.

The main theme of the 2019 research forum of European Society of International Law was ‘The International and Domestic Rule of Law – Synergies and Challenges’. The workshop where Dr. Jia XU has presented her paper is a side event of the research forum. The workshop was entitled as ‘ Trade Agreements and the Rule of Law’. It can be divided into three panels, i.e. Panel 1: Preferential (‘Regional’) Trade Agreements: Progress and Stability for the World Economic Order; Panel 2: The Rule of Law and International Economic Law; Panel 3: The Rule of Law and International Economic Law: The WTO System.

In this workshop, scholars from Universities such as King’s College London, Max Plank Institute (Luxemburg), National University of Singapore, University of Göttingen, University of Amsterdam, St. Petersburg State University, Queen Mary, University of London, University of Neuchâtel, University of Nürnberg, University of Bologna and University of Southampton have likewise contributed their discussions.