Chao Xi

Chao Xi serves as Dean and Professor at the Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), a position he has held since joining CUHK in 2007. Internationally recognized for expertise in Chinese law and corporate governance, he previously held leadership roles including Interim Dean and Associate Dean (Research). His scholarly contributions have earned him multiple CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Awards (2010, 2017, 2022) and the CUHK Research Excellence Award (2009-2010).

Professor Xi holds a PhD and LLM in Commercial and Corporate Law from the University of London, and an LLB from Sun Yat-Sen University. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), reflecting his professional engagement in dispute resolution.

His research centers on Chinese corporate law, securities regulation, and empirical legal studies, with recent emphasis on Greater Bay Area legal harmonization and cross-border data flows. He pioneers data-driven methodologies to analyze judicial behavior and corporate governance mechanisms in China, bridging legal theory with practical regulatory challenges. His work consistently examines the political economy of lawmaking and enforcement in China’s evolving market.

Recent publications reveal three dominant trends: empirical analysis of shareholder voting mechanisms in Chinese listed companies, regulatory challenges in Greater Bay Area integration, and cryptocurrency/data flow regulation. His scholarship increasingly incorporates comparative perspectives while maintaining China-specific contextualization, with growing focus on policy implementation challenges.

Professor Xi’s honors include:

• CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award (2022, 2017, 2010)
• CUHK Young Researcher Award (2011)
• CUHK Research Excellence Award (2009-2010)

He currently leads nine major research projects totaling over HK$10 million, including a HK$6.86 million Research Impact Fund project on Greater Bay Area business law harmonization (2024-2029) and multiple General Research Fund grants. His public service includes membership on the Hong Kong SAR Department of Justice’s Greater Bay Area Task Force and the HKSAR Government’s Public Policy Research Funding Scheme Assessment Panel, demonstrating his commitment to legal reform and policy development.

Professor Xi directs CUHK’s legal research initiatives on Chinese corporate governance and Greater Bay Area integration, collaborating with mainland Chinese institutions and international partners to address regulatory fragmentation through empirical scholarship and policy engagement.