Directors’ duties can be classified into two themes: duties in relation to care and skill, and duties in relation to loyalty and good faith. This chapter is the first of two chapters addressing the duties of loyalty and good faith. These duties fall into two categories: those concerned with the way in which directors exercise the powers and discretions vested in them, and those concerned with the standard of conduct expected from directors. This chapter will focus on the first category, which includes the duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company and for proper purposes, its counterpart in s 181 of the Corporations Act, and the limitations on directors not to fetter the future exercise of their discretions.

This chapter starts with a discussion of the general law in relation to the duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company and for proper purposes. The discussion examines how the law developed historically and how it exists today. It then considers s 181 of the Corporations Act, before moving to consider alternative approaches to this area of law, which demonstrate a development of the stakeholder approach to corporate theory.

It explores the various methods of property acquisition under Chinese law. The chapter begins by distinguishing between original and derivative acquisition, emphasising the different processes involved in each. It highlights the legal nuances and state ownership implications, particularly in cases involving lost property and unowned estates.

The chapter then delves into the theory and practice of property transfer, discussing the principles governing the transfer of ownership through delivery (for movables) and registration (for immovables). A significant portion is dedicated to the land registration system, detailing its historical development, functions, and the dual registration models (mandatory and voluntary). It addresses the legal mechanisms for ensuring accurate registration, liability for mistakes and fraud, and the processes for rectifying errors. The chapter concludes by analyzing the different methods of delivery, both actual and constructive, and their implications for property rights transfer.

This chapter discusses how the CJEU invokes and applies substantive customary international law rules within the EU legal system; to which extent they are relevant to this system: whether the interpretation of these rules by the CJEU conforms to the traditional rules of interpretation in international law; and whether the Court pursues a specific strategy in doing so (and whether there is coherence and/or certain patterns to its jurisprudence in this respect). The substantive customary international rules used by the CJEU and thus further assessed here are those governing ‘territory’, ‘territoriality’ and ‘extra-territoriality’; substantive customary rules of the VCLT (other than interpretation rules); and lastly, some of the most fundamental rules of international law (such as the prohibition of the use of force and the right to self-determination).