The China Law and Policy Association (CLPA) is an organization dedicated to

1. Identifying key trends and challenges in China’s tech ecosystem;
2. Providing Stanford a bedrock for China-focused VC community; and
3. Acting as the dominant U.S.-based source of legal expertise on Chinese tech.

We aim to expand the American understanding of the Chinese tech landscape and the interactions between that system and the world.

Since 2010 the highlight of each year’s programming has been the annual Stanford China Law and Policy Conference, an event organized wholly by student CLPA volunteers. During the 2010-11 school year, the CLPA conference featured former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Judge Wang Yanfang of the Chinese Supreme Court, and Judge Clifford Wallace of the 9th Circuit. During the 2011-12 school year, the keynote speaker of our conference, titled “The Role of Law in Promoting Chinese Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” is Qi Lu, President of Microsoft’s Online Services Division. The panels focused on (i) challenges in corporate governance in modern China and its influence on foreign investment; (ii) prospects for the development of innovation with Chinese characteristics; and (iii) hurdles that the rising Chinese clean energy sector still must overcome.

During the 2012-13 school year, the speaker series has included Nico Howson of University of Michigan Law School and Portia Ku of O’Melveny & Myers. Additionally, every year the CLPA sponsors a number of formal and informal events with the Graduate School of Business, the School of Engineering, and with other China-themed organizations such as the Greater China Business Club and the Chinese Entrepreneurial Organization.