• Law School, Peking University, LL.B., 1982
• Université de Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), DEA, 1984

• Managing Partner, Dechert LLP, Beijing (2011 – 2020) 
• Partner, Jones Day LLP (2007 – 2011) 
• Managing Partner, DLA Piper Global Law Firm, Beijing (2005 – 2007) 
• Managing Partner and International Executive Committee Member, Coudert Brothers LLP, China (1991 – 2005) 
• Associate, Jeantet & Associés, Paris and Brussels (1985 – 1991)

Mr. Tao has sat in over 200 arbitrations, the majority as sole or presiding arbitrator, in both civil and common law disputes. The Legal 500 Asia, Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific have consistently recognized Mr. Tao as a leading dispute resolution lawyer in China, one of the “Most in Demand Arbitrators” in the Asia-Pacific region, who “really bridges the divide between Western and Eastern views,” “a respected name on the arbitration scene” and “very well regarded for his activity in the international arbitration arena”, and “one of the best arbitration practitioners in the region.”

 “Top 10 Lawyers” of One Belt and Road Award in 2018, Legal Daily, Beijing

• Arbitrator of American Arbitration Association
• Arbitrator of Asian International Arbitration Centre, Kuala Lumpur
• Arbitrator of CAA International Arbitration Centre, Taiwan
• Arbitrator of Court of Arbitration for Sport
• Arbitrator of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
• Arbitrator of Japan Commercial Arbitration Association
• Arbitrator of Korean Commercial Arbitration Board International
• Arbitrator of Singapore International Arbitration Centre
• Arbitrator of Vienna International Arbitral Centre
• Arbitrator of Beijing Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of China Maritime Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of Harbin Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of Hangzhou International Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of Hainan International Arbitration Court
• Arbitrator of Hubei Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission
• Arbitrator of Shenzhen International Arbitration Centre
• Mediation Expert of Dispute Resolution Platform, jointly established by CIETAC and Higher Court of Hainan, PRC
• Mediator of Beijing International Arbitration Commission
• Mediator of HIAC International Mediation Centre, Hainan Province

Books

• Arbitration Law and Practice in China (Kluwer Law International, 3rd ed., 2012, 384 pages)
• Mergers and Acquisitions in China (with Owen Nee) (Thomson Reuters, 5th ed., 2012, 644 pages)
• Resolving Business Disputes in China (Kluwer Law International, 2005, 828 pages)
• Non-Tariff Trade Barriers in China (Sweet & Maxwell, 2003, 358 pages) (with Diarmuid O'Brien)
• Droit Chinois des Affaires (Economica, 1999, 394 pages)
• Le Droit Chinois Contemporain (Collection Que sais-je?) (Presses Universitaires de France, 1991, 128 pages)
• Le Commerce avec la China, recueil de textes (FEDUCI – LGDJ, 1987, 268 pages)

Recent Articles (partial list since 2016)

• A Comparative Study of International Commercial Courts: An Emerging Alternative for Resolving Disputes, in International Arbitration: When East Meets West Liber Amicorum Michael Moser (Neil Kaplan, Michael Pryles and Chiann Bao eds, Kluwer, October 2020)
• Breaking Contracts over Coronavirus is Harder than it Sounds, Financial Times (February 25, 2020)
• China Chapter, in Encyclopedia of International Commercial Litigation (Kluwer, 2019)
• Resolving Disputes in China: New and Sometimes Unpredictable Developments, in AIIB Yearbook of International Law (Peter Quayle and Xuan Gao eds, Brill Nijhoff, 2019)  (with M. Zhong)
• China Chapter, in Enforcement of Foreign Judgements (Kluwer, 2019)
• Hong Kong Is Irreplaceable as a Financial Centre, Financial Times (October 27, 2019)
• China Chapter, in The Asia-Pacific Arbitration Review 2018 (Global Arbitration Review, 2018)
• The Changing Rules of International Dispute Resolution in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, in China’s Belt and Road Initiative - Changing the Rules of Globalization (Wenxian Zhang, Ilan Alon and Christoph Lattemann eds, Springer International Publishing, 2018) (with M. Zhong)
• Headline Numbers Rarely Add Up in China Trade Deals, Financial Times (February 25, 2018)
• China’s 2017 Reform of Its Arbitration-related Court Review Mechanism: With a Focus on Improving Chinese Courts’ Prior-Reporting System, 35(3) Journal of International Arbitration 371 (2018) (with M. Zhong)
• China Chapter, in The Asia-Pacific Arbitration Review 2017 (Global Arbitration Review, 2017)
• Deliberations of Arbitrators, in The Powers and Duties of an Arbitrator: Liber Amicorum Pierre A. Karrer (P. Shaughnessy and S. Tung eds., Kluwer, 2017)
• Chinese Deals Face Scrutiny at Home and Abroad, Financial Times (April 2, 2017)
• Looking at M&A Approval Risks From the Perspective of Anbang Insurance’s Failure in M&A, (in Chinese) 16 Caixin Weekly (2017)
• Lessons from ZTE’s Huge Fines, (in Chinese) 10 Caixin Weekly (2017)
• Globalization in the Shadow of the Trade War, (in Chinese) 5 Caixin Weekly (2017)
• Overseas M&A: ‘Internal and External Struggles’, (in Chinese) 1 Caixin Weekly (2017)
• China Turns away from the Market, Financial Times (August 31, 2016)
• Debt-to-equity Swap Requires the Spirit of the Rule of Law, (in Chinese) 44 Caixin Weekly (2016)
• How to Deal with Fresh Delay of Hinkley Point Nuclear Plant, (in Chinese) Caixin Weekly (August 9, 2016)

Speaking Engagements

TV and Press Interviews (partial list since 2016)

• Coronavirus and Chinese Production Resumption and Possible Withdrawal of Foreign Companies from China, Markets China Open, Bloomberg (April 30, 2020)
• China Raises Hopes for U.S. Trade Deal, The Wall Street Journal (November 26, 2019)
• How Xi’s Last-Minute Switch on U.S.- China Trade Deal Upended It, The New York Times (May 16, 2019)
• China Agrees to Resume U.S. Trade Negotiations, The Wall Street Journal (May 7, 2019)
• The Annual Report of Chinese Supreme Court, Dialogue with Yang Rui, CGTN (March 12, 2019)
• Tax Cut, A ‘Must’ for China’s Economic Growth, Global Business, CGTN (March 5, 2019)
• Développement d’Airbus en Chine, CGTN Français (March 5, 2019)
• China Is Working on a New, Improved Foreign Investment Law, Dialogue with Yang Rui, CGTN (February 1, 2019)
• Opinion on the U.S.-China Trade War and the Key Concerns that Foreign Invested Companies May Have, Global Business, CGTN (January 4, 2019)
• Tao Jingzhou: the First Chinese to Become a French Lawyer, (in Chinese) Fang Yuan Magazine (January 2019)
• Interview with Jingzhou Tao: - Getting Involved in the Field of International Arbitration in the Early 1990s,” Forerunner, ifeng.com Finance (August 30,  2018)
• China Defends WTO Record as it Takes aim at US Tariffs, Financial Times (June 28, 2018)
• China’s Xi Tells CEOs He’ll Strike Back at U.S., The Wall Street Journal (June 25, 2018)
• Dechert’s Jingzhou Tao Sees Rough Days for Liu He in Washington, Bloomberg (May 16, 2018)
• Likelihood of Full-Scale Trade War Is Not Over Says Dechert’s Tao Jingzhou,  Bloomberg Markets (April 17, 2018)
• Tao Jingzhou, Meilleur Avocat D’Asie en Matière D’arbitrage et Ancient Camarade de Fac de Li Keqiang, Radio LCF (April 17, 2018)
• The Many Ways China Could Hit Back at Trump Over Tariffs, Bloomberg News (March 22, 2018)
• Dechert’s Tao on Trump Trade Tariffs, U.S.-China Trade, Bloomberg Markets (January 28, 2018)
• Get Used to Apple Bowing Down to Chinese Censors, The Wall Street Journal (August 7, 2017)
• China Turns to US Courts in Effort to Silence Exiled Businessman, Financial Times (June 16, 2017)
• The Explosive Growth of China’s Lawyer Matches China’s Position in the World, (in Chinese) www.lawnewscn.com (2017)
• 40 Years of 7 People / Tao Jingzhou: A Youth Learning Law in Peking University, (in Chinese) Wenhui Daily (May 30, 2017)
• Chinese Luxury Goods Sales Soar as Wealth Perceptions Rise, Nikkei Asian Review (June 7, 2017)
• Tao Jingzhou: the Role of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Is to Export China’s Excess Capacity, (in Chinese) Wallstreetcn, pit.ifeng.com (August 18, 2016)
• Overseas Investments and M&A are Systematic Projects - There Are Traps Everywhere, pit.ifeng.com (August 12, 2016)
• China’s $15 Billion Energy Ambitions Crushed Within Two Weeks, Bloomberg Markets (August 11, 2016)

Conferences and other Speaking Engagements (partial list since 2017)

• Interim Measures – Practical Consideration for Arbitrators, ICC Brunch Talk Webinar, organized by ICC Shanghai Representative Office  (June 10, 2020, online)
• Disclosure and Document Production in International Arbitration,  SIAC China Webinar, organized by Singapore International Arbitration Center (June 2, 2020, online)
• The Types of International Investment Disputes and the Possibility of Arbitration Under COVID-19, 7th Social Sciences and Arbitration Roundtable, co-organized by CIETAC and China Academy of Social Sciences  (May 8, 2020, online)
• Sino-US Trade War and the Reshaping of Globalization, 2nd China Law & Economy Annual Meeting, (January 4, 2020, Beijing)
• Experience of Being an Arbitrator, 2019 CIETAC Chief Arbitrators Seminar (December 27, 2019, Beijing)
• Dispute Resolution for the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa, The Belt and Road Initiative in Africa: Promises, Challenges and Dispute Resolution, co-organized by ICC Africa & ICC Belt & Road Commissions (December 12, 2019, Paris)
• Chinese Investment in Africa and Its Legal Implications, Casablanca Arbitration Conference  2019 (December 5, 2019, Casablanca)
• Situation in Hong Kong and Its Indispensable Importance to China, Hotspots to Watch Around Asia, organized by The Economist (November 28, 2019, Beijing)
• Arbitration Preservation and Interim Measures: Current Situation and Prospect of Interregional Judicial Assistance System in Civil and Commercial Matters, 8th Great China Arbitration Forum (November 28, 2019, Beijing)
• Capital Market and Facilitating Transactions, Keynote Speaker at Seminar on “Is Hong Kong Still Irreplaceable”,  organized by Department of Justice of Hong Kong (November 25, 2019, Beijing)
• Public Policy Considerations in International Arbitration, moderator, 6th Biannual Symposium on Salient Issues in International Commercial Arbitration, organized by American University Washington College of Law  (November 14, 2019, Washington DC)
• Analysis of Singapore Convention on Mediation and Alternative Commercial Dispute Settlements, 2nd China-Japan In-house Legal Counsel Forum & 10th Annual Meeting of In-house Legal Counsel of Chinese Enterprises, co-organized by Shanghai Jiaotong University, The Association of Corporate Legal Departments of Japan, the International Civil & Commercial Law Centre Foundation of Japan, etc.(November 9, 2019, Shanghai)
• Comparison of Arbitration Legal System Between China and Austria, Seminar on Arbitration Law and Practice in Austria and China , co-organized by CIETAC and Vienna International Arbitration Center (November 8, 2019, Qingdao)
• Athletes and Governing Bodies Behaving Badly: Arbitrating Disciplinary Related Disputes, moderator, Seminar on “Sports Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution in China: A Perfect Match”, co-organized by JAMS and Beijing Arbitration Commission (November 1, 2019, Beijing)
• Worldwide Enforcement of Arbitral Awards of International Investment Arbitration, Sino-German Arbitration Law Roundtable: International Business Environment and International Dispute Settlement, co-organized by CASS and German Konrad Adnauer Stiftung (October 19, 2019, Beijing)
• Legal Regulation and Compliance of Cross Border Investment, The 2nd World Forum on Rule of Law of Tsinghua University (October 18, 2019, Beijing)
• Disputes Arising from One Belt and One Road and Dispute Settlement Methods,  2019 International Legal Practice Executive Summer Program of China University of Political Science and Law (July 7, 2019, Beijing)
• Enforcement in China and Recent Developments Regarding the Judicial Review of Awards, UK-China Arbitration Summit , organized by The Bar Counsel (June 10, 2019, London)
• Dispute Resolution for One Belt and One Road Projects, 2019 International Training  Course of China Dalian Business Executives Academy (May 24, 2019, Dalian)
• Reform of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement System – Uniformity and Diversity, moderator, Seminar co-organized by International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and Beijing Arbitration Commission ( May 17, 2019, Beijing)
• How to Avoid Possible Legal Risks Arising From One Belt and One Road, Fazhihui Salon (May 12, 2019, Beijing)
• Hot Issues in International Commercial Arbitration, 2019 Arbitrators’ Meeting of Changsha Arbitration Commission (April 27, 2019, Changsha)
• Positioning of ICC Arbitration in the Asian World With a Focus on China, First PIDA Training on International Commercial Arbitration, organized by ICC China (March 29-31, 2019, Shanghai)
• Kluwer Law Conference for General Counsels, chairman of sessions,   4th Annual International Arbitration, Regulatory and Competition Law Summit, co-organized by Legal Plus and Wolters Kluwer (March 21, 2019, Shanghai)
• 21st Century Trade and China: Emerging Trends in Global Trade, Trade Policy and China’s Engagement Seminar, organized by the British Embassy (March 18, 2019, Beijing)
• Potential Investment Opportunities and Dispute Resolution in One Belt and One Road Projects, lecture organized by CIETAC Hubei Sub-Commission (March 15, 2019, Wuhan)
• Contract Award of the PPP Projects, Opportunities & Challenges Along the Belt and Road, Public-Private Partnerships Conference, co-organized by Hong Kong Department of Justice and Asia Academy of International Law, (January 17, 2019, Hong Kong)
• Implementation of Arbitral Awards Under Bilateral Investment Treaties Signed by China, International Academic Conference on the Sixty Years of the New York Convention and the Singapore Convention on Mediation (November 3, 2018, Beijing)
• Sport, Entertainment, Tech and IP – Opportunities and Developments for Sino-American Engagements, moderator, symposium organized by Beijing Arbitration Commission  (October 26, 2018, Beijing)
• Significance of UNCITRAL Model Law, 4th Social Sciences and Arbitration Roundtable Conference, organized by China Academy of Social Sciences  (September 19, 2018, Beijing)
• Interconnection of Various Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in the Context of BRI, 2018 High Level Dialogue on International Commercial Arbitration Among OBOR Countries, organized by CIETAC (September 16, 2018, Beijing)
• ICC Update: Belt & Road Initiative, ICC Arbitration Conference (September 12, 2018, London)
• Resolving Disputes in China: New and Sometimes Unpredictable Developments, 2018 AIIB Legal Conference, organized by Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (September 5, 2018, Beijing)
• Opportunities and Challenges of Arbitration in the Context of BRI, organized by All China Lawyers Association (August 31, 2018, Shenzhen)
• Suggestions on the Development of International Investment Arbitration, 2018 The 1st Xiong’an Arbitration Forum, co-organized by CIETAC, SHAIC, BAC,  SCIA and Xiong’an Arbitration Commission (August 24, 2018, Xiong’an)
• Increasing the Pool and Influence of Chinese Arbitrators in International Arbitrations, seminar organized by BAC (July 5, 2018, Beijing)
• A Brief Examination of Implementation of IBA Guidelines by Chinese Arbitration Institutions, 4th ICC Asia Conference (June 27, 2018, Hong Kong)
• Chinese SOEs: How to Prepare for and Deal With International Arbitration, training session to Chinese SOEs General Counsels organized by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council of China (June 21, 2018, Beijing)
• Salient Issues in International Arbitration of Construction Disputes, lecture to China Railway Construction Corporation and its subsidiaries (June 20, 2018, Beijing)
• Dispute Resolutions of Foreign Companies in China, speech at Taipei University Law School (June 7, 2018, Taipei)
• Judicial Approach to International Arbitration, ICC-CIETAC Seminar, co-organized by ICC and CIETAC (May 31, 2018, Beijing)
• Regards croisés sur l’attractivité économique du droit, 3eme Rencontres Franco-Chinoise du Droit et de la Justice, co-organized by China Law Society, Fondation pour le Droit Continental (May 14, 2018, Beijing)
• Resolution of Disputes Arising From China and Middle-East Bilateral Trade and Investments, Qatar & Middle East: 4th Annual International Arbitration Summit, co-organized by Kluwer and Legal Plus (May 9, 2018, Doha)
• Recent Reform of Arbitration Institutions in China and Australia: Specialization, Digitalization, and Internationalization, CIBEL Lunch Talk, organized by the Faculty of Law of the University of New South Wales (April 19, 2018, Sydney)
• OBOR and ICC, ICC & ICC HK Conference (October 16, 2017, Hong Kong)
• Arbitration in the Context of One Belt and One Road: China and International Perspectives, UNSW Seminar (October 11, 2017, Sydney)
• Turning an Award into $$$$: Strategies for Enforcement, 12th  ICC New York Conference (September 27, 2017, New York)
• New Developments in International Commercial Arbitration and Investment Arbitration in China, 2017 China Arbitration Week , organized by CIETAC (September 22, 2017, Changsha)
• Judicial Environment for Arbitration Among One Belt One Road Countries, 2017 China Arbitration Summit, organized by CIETAC (September 20, 2017, Beijing)
• Necessary Conditions for the Establishment of International Arbitration Centers, Forum on Innovation and Development of Arbitration in Xiong’an New Area, co-organized by CIETAC and Xiong’an Arbitration Commission (September 18, 2017, Beijing)
• Application of Multi-tier Dispute Resolution Clauses (‘MDR Clauses’), ASA Autumn Conference 2017 (September 15, 2017, Berne)
• How to Avoid M&A Pitfalls with Asian Parties, moderator,  IPBA/ASA Conference (September 14, 2017, Geneva)
• The Law Impact of OBOR, The Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers’ Banking Conference, organized by Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (August 1-2, 2017, Kuala Lumpur)
• AI and Legal Profession, 2017 Legal + Tech New Champions Annual Convention, organized by Legal + (June 29, 2017, Hangzhou)
• Comparative Analysis of Developments in Arbitration Law in the Region, 3rd ICC Asia Conference on International Arbitration (June 28, 2017, Singapore)
• The Role and Future Development of Arbitration Institutions in the Context of the One Belt One Road Initiative – Lessons Learned From Dispute Resolutions on the Global Stage, 3rd ICC-CIETAC Joint Conference on International Arbitration Without Frontiers (June 26, 2017, Shanghai)
• Overview of the PRC’s Arbitration and Mediation Practice: Trends and Challenges, ASA - BAC Joint Conference (June 19, 2017, London and Zurich )
• Dispute Resolution in Chinese Outbound Investments, keynote speaker, 11th China Goes Global Conference, organized by China Globalization Association (June15-17, 2017, Kristiansand, Norway)
• Regional Views - Managing the Arbitration Process and Use of the Expert Witness from Both Sides - Advising In-house Counsels, China: 2nd Annual International Arbitration, Compliance & Competition Law Forum, co-organized by Kluwer and LegalPlus (June 8, 2017, Shanghai)
• LNG Dispute Resolutions: Expert Determination and Arbitration, China Natural Gas Forum, co-organized by BAC and China Petroleum University (May 23, 2017, Beijing)
• Dispute Resolution in China’s Outbound Investments, 2017 The University of Chicago China Forum (April 30, 2017, Chicago)
• Forty Years of Legal Education and Legal Profession in China: How to Go to the World, lecture at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (April 25, 2017, Shanghai)
• Global Governance and China’s Responsibility, 2017  3rd Center for China & Globalization Roundtable Forum, organized by Center for China & Globalization (April 9, 2017, Beijing)
• Challenges and regulations of Internet Banking, Internet Finance Innovation and Legal Protection, organized by Beijing Law Society (April 8, 2017)
• Analysis on the Trend and Mode of Overseas Investment of Chinese Enterprises, China Economic Opening Forum, co-organized by Shanghai Institute for National Economy and National Development Research Institute (March 18, 2017, Shanghai)
• The Development and Prospect of International Arbitration, 2017 Shanghai International Arbitration Forum, co-organized by CEIBS, CIETAC, BAC, etc.  (March 5, 2017, Shanghai)

Current Positions in Arbitration and Business Related Institutions

• Member of ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR
• Member of ICC Belt and Road Commission
• Member of the Advisory Council of the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy
• Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur
• Member of the Editorial Board of Global Arbitration Review, London
• Member of the International Advisory Board of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, Hong Kong
• Member of the Expert Committee for the Chinese International Commercial Court of the Chinese Supreme People’s Court
• Member of the Advisory Committee of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Beijing
• Member of the Strategic Development Committee of Beijing Arbitration Commission
• Member of the Expert Advisory Board of Changsha Arbitration Commission, Hunan Province, PRC
• Member of the Editorial Board of Beijing Arbitration Quarterly, Beijing
• Member of the Editorial Board of Shanghai International Arbitration Review, Shanghai
• Member of the Chinese Academy of Arbitration Law, Beijing
• Advisor of the Institute of Mediterranean Studies, Zhejiang International Studies University, PRC

Current Academic Positions

• Adjunct Professor of Peking University Law School
• Adjunct Professor of Tsinghua University School of Law
• Adjunct Professor of East China University of Political Science and Law 
• Adjunct Professor of Fuyang Normal University
• Visiting Professor of China National Lawyers College
• Advisory Board of Swiss International Law School, Basel
• Member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement China

Previous Positions in Arbitration and Business Related Institutions

• Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (1999-2018)
• Member of LCIA Arbitration Court
• Co-chair of Asia-Pacific Forum of International Bar Association
• Vice-chair of Arbitration Committee of International Bar Association
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• Managing Director of the 2005 Committee, a Chinese think-tank
• Lecture at University of Paris X Nanterre
• Lecture at Institut de Droit Comparé, Université de Paris II
• Executive Director of China Centre for Globalization

• English (working language)
• French (working language)
• Mandarin (native language)

French