The research project “Cross-border data flows between the European Union and China: a comparative analysis of data protection laws and future cooperation” is supported by the scholarship programs of China Scholarship Council and Ghent University BOF cofounding and runs from 2019 to 2023. This project will examine the divergence of the legislations in the EU and in China and how can future cooperation be enabled.
Promoters: Prof. Dr. Eva Lievens and Prof. Dr. Gert Vermeulen
Researcher: Yueming Zhang
Period: 2019-2023
Funding: China Scholarship Council and Ghent University BOF cofounding
Flows of personal data of citizens across borders are increasingly important in international trade, not in the least between the European Union and China. The respective legislative frameworks that govern the protection of personal data, however, significantly differ. This gives rise to urgent questions related to jurisdiction (competence and applicability of law), safeguarding of data protection standards, enforcement and cooperation.
The project focuses on a critical analysis of data protection legislations in the European Union and China, on the basis of cross-border data flows between the two area. To achieve this objective, a comparative analysis will be conducted between the EU and China, and interviews with practitioners will be carried out.