Comparative Law and International Organisations : Cooperation, Competition and Connections - Lessons from Hong Kong, China and Viet Nam

It is unlikely that there has been anything like it since the great codifications of the 19th century. The introduction of new legislative frameworks in China and neighbouring Viet Nam over the past 20 years has been ambitious and audacious, particularly in view of the inherent tensions involved in producing modern legislation adapted to a socialist market economy. With their great cultural respect for learning and the intellectual resources at their disposal, both the Chinese and the Vietnamese have taken law making seriously, and have taken to it with great alacrity. A hallmark of their efforts has been the attention devoted to the use of comparative methodology. These brief case studies of the process and outcomes of corporate law reform efforts in Hong Kong, China and Viet Nam in the last 15 years will look at the role played by international development institutions and the lessons which they may draw from the experiences