Chin Leng Lim

Chin Leng Lim is the Choh-Ming Li Professor of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law, where he has served since 2017 after a decade as Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong. He maintains an active practice with a London commercial set and holds distinguished appointments including Visiting Professor at King’s College London, Honorary Senior Fellow of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, and editorial board member of the International and Comparative Law Quarterly. His scholarly profile spans international law, comparative law, and Hong Kong constitutional studies, with extensive engagement in global legal institutions.

Professor Lim's academic credentials include bachelor's degrees from Buckingham and Oxford (University College), a master's degree from Harvard Law School as Kathryn Aguirre Worth Memorial Scholar, and a doctorate from Nottingham. He was called to the Middle Temple and the Singapore Bar, with prior professional experience at Geneva UN Headquarters and as government international law counsel for Singapore.

His research focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration, conflict of laws, international economic treaties, and Hong Kong's constitutional arrangements. He critically examines post-colonial international law dynamics, sovereign immunity in commercial contexts, and treaty interpretation challenges in Asia. Recent work explores tensions between state sovereignty and international obligations, particularly regarding investment disputes and geopolitical shifts in treaty enforcement.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in international investment law (47%), sovereign immunity jurisprudence (27%), and Hong Kong's constitutional evolution (26%). His scholarship consistently addresses practical implications of international law in Asian contexts, with increasing emphasis on Belt and Road Initiative impacts and post-WTO economic governance structures.

• Choh-Ming Li Professorship
• Associé of the Institut de droit international
• Honorary Senior Fellow of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law
• Kathryn Aguirre Worth Memorial Scholar

Professor Lim has secured significant research funding including a HKD 1.95 million Research Grants Council grant (Principal Investigator) for the 2016 conference 'China’s Identity in International Law'. He served three terms on Hong Kong SAR's trade and industry committee advising the Commerce Secretary and participated in government expert groups on legal services. His work has been cited by Singapore's Court of Appeal, India's Supreme Court, Colombia's Constitutional Court, and international bodies including the WTO and International Law Commission. He has organized major conferences with institutions like BIICL and received invitations from 25+ governments and international organizations including the EU, UNESCAP, and APEC.