Donald Clarke is a professor at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he specializes in modern Chinese law, focusing particularly on corporate governance, Chinese legal institutions, and the legal issues presented by China’s economic reforms. He has previously been on the law faculties of the University of Washington School of Law and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and has been a visiting professor at Duke Law School, New York University School of Law, and the UCLA School of Law. In addition to his academic work, he founded and maintains Chinalaw, the leading internet listserv on Chinese law, and writes the Chinese Law Prof Blog. He was educated at Princeton University (A.B.) and the University of London (M.Sc.), and received his law degree (J.D.) from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review. He has served as a consultant on Chinese law matters to a number of organizations, including the Financial Sector Reform and Strengthening Initiative (FIRST), the Asian Development Bank, and the Agency for International Development. He is a member of the New York bar and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Last Updated: April 1, 2021
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02.22.14![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/dalai_obama.jpg?itok=UffGe41t)
What Can the Dalai Lama’s White House Visit Actually Accomplish?
On February 21, the Dalai Lama visited United States President Barack Obama in the White House over the objections of the Chinese government. Beijing labels the exiled spiritual leader a "wolf in sheep's clothing" who seeks to use...
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02.19.14![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/house-of-cards-review-part-two.jpg_0.jpg?itok=dIVz6xnC)
China in ‘House of Cards’
China figures heavily in the second season of the Netflix series House of Cards, but how accurately does the show portray U.S.-China relations? Steven Jiang, a journalist for CNN in Beijing, binged-watched all thirteen recently-released web-only...
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07.18.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/ap090717033659.jpg?itok=wSToGiiD)
Xu Zhiyong Arrested: How Serious Can Beijing Be About Political Reform?
Donald Clarke:When I heard that Xu Zhiyong had just been detained, my first thought was, “Again?” This seems to be something the authorities do every time they get nervous, a kind of political Alka Seltzer to settle an upset constitution. I searched...
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04.11.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/56452585_0.jpg?itok=C2sYhpKv)
Why Is Chinese Soft Power Such a Hard Sell?
Jeremy Goldkorn:Chairman Mao Zedong said that power comes out of the barrel of a gun, and he knew a thing or two about power, both hard and soft. If you have enough guns, you have respect. Money is the same: if you have enough cash, you can buy guns...
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04.03.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/165412686.jpg?itok=JoAqsTqM)
Bird Flu Fears: Should We Trust Beijing This Time?
David Wertime:A new strain of avian flu called H7N9 has infected at least seven humans and killed three in provinces near the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, with the first death occurring on March 4. Meanwhile, in the last month, about 16,000 pigs...
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03.28.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/160785715.jpg?itok=6Xt5cPMc)
Will China’s Renminbi Replace the Dollar as the World’s Top Currency?
Patrick Chovanec:This week’s news that Brazil and China have signed a $30 billion currency swap agreement gave a renewed boost to excited chatter over the rising influence of China’s currency, the renminbi (RMB). The belief, in many quarters, is...
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03.26.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/137833825.jpg?itok=DF6UxTgm)
Can China Transform Africa?
Jeremy Goldkorn:The question is all wrong. China is already transforming Africa, the question is how China is transforming Africa, not whether it can. From the “China shops”—small stores selling cheap clothing, bags, and kitchenware—that have become...
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02.27.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/160365696.jpg?itok=jUiyuHG_)
How Long Can China Keep Pollution Data a State Secret?
Elizabeth Economy:The environment is center stage once again in China. A Chinese lawyer has requested the findings of a national survey on soil pollution from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and been denied on the grounds that the...
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02.22.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/159919205.jpg?itok=dzgpmqM7)
Will Investment in China Grow or Shrink?
Donald Clarke:I don’t have the answer as to whether investment in China will grow or shrink, but I do have a few suggestions for how to think about the question. First, we have to clarify why we want to know the answer to this question: what do we...
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02.08.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/85209776.jpg?itok=ECizw85S)
Rich, Poor and Chinese—Does Anyone Trust Beijing to Bust the Corrupt?
Andrew Nathan:The new Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping seems to be making some bold opening moves with its attacks on corruption and the announcement on February 5 of plans to reduce the polarization of incomes. Does this mean Xi is...
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02.01.13![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/79146008_0.jpg?itok=RS9YA_vE)
China’s Cyberattacks — At What Cost?
James Fallows: Here are some initial reactions on the latest hacking news.We call this the “latest” news because I don’t think anyone, in China or outside, is actually surprised. In my own experience in China, which is limited compared with many of...