Some Words Written in a Time of Crisis

• Author: Editorial Board
• Pages: 4-4

iv

Some Words Written in a Time of Crisis

As final edits were underway to the first issue of this new journal, the coronavirus pandemic’s

brutal assault has been deep, affecting and reshaping our world. The coronavirus pandemic has

killed people, changed the ways we live, and presented more challenges to our governance and

legal systems in unprecedented ways. In this time of crisis, we need to profoundly reflect on

our entire governance system, not only on the economic, political and legal systems, but also

on our health care, poverty relief and international cooperative schemes.

Unfortunately, while we are supposed to closely work together to defeat this coronavirus, our

world is indeed falling apart because of this coronavirus. The international institutions such as

the World Health Organization, the European Union and others do not play a predominant role

in uniting and rescuing the people from the coronavirus pandemic. Rather, the countries of the

world are more polarized, the world system is more fragmented, and the globe is more de-

globalized. Unilateralism and populism appear to be becoming the mainstream ideology of our

time after the progressive globalization of the past several decades. In addition, the countries

and the people are in an information asymmetry, and transnational private litigations have been

initiated intentionally, but not based on legal merits, to seek compensation for losses caused by

the pandemic. This is evidence that demonstrates that populism dominates the public domain

today.

In this first issue of this very new journal, we managed to have seven Chinese legal scholars

present their views and analyses of relevant legal issues they have been working on. The topics

covered in this issue range from trade treaty, regional cooperation, to territorial disputes and

the functionality of the World Health Organization and International Criminal Court. These

works reflect the voices of Chinese scholars looking at this world from their own perspectives.

In the time of crisis, we need more patience than ever to appreciate and respect others’ views

and opinions. This can enrich our knowledge and broaden our vision. But the dialogue is not

supposed to stop here. This journal is launched with the aim of bringing more voices into this

much needed dialogue. Scholars are navigating some of the emotional currents that have

become dominant in the world. Science, morality and rule of law shall be the key tone of our

time.

Editorial Board

May 4, 2020