Staff Profile

Professor Zheng Sophia Tang joined the Newcastle University in 2014. She is a Chair in Law and Commerce. Before that she taught law at the University of Leeds and the University of Aberdeen.

Professor Tang read law at the Wuhan University (China) and Manchester University (UK), and obtained her PhD degree at the University of Birmingham supported by the Postgraduate Research Scholarship.  She is also a barrister-at-law and an accredited mediator. 

Professor Tang is specialised in private international law, consumer law, international commercial arbitration, and Chinese law, in which she has published extensively. Her articles appear in prestigious law journals, including ICLQ, Modern Law Review, Journal of Private International Law, Hong Kong Law Journal, Edinburgh Law Review, European Law Review, Netherlands Journal of International Law, etc. Professor Tang's monograph Electronic Consumer Contracts in the Conflict of Laws (2nd., Hart, 2015) and article "Exclusive Choice of Forum Clauses in Electronic Consumer Contracts" (2005) 1 Journal of Private International Law 237 are cited by the Canadian Supreme Court in Douez v Facebook. Her co-authored book Conflict of Laws in the People's Republic of China (EEL, 2016) has received positive reviews from scholars in the UK, Australia, China and Singapore and four awards from China.

Professor Tang is an editor of conflictoflaws.net, the leading and most influential blog in conflict of laws which was ranked 33 of the top 100 UK law blogs in 2017. She is also a member of the advisory board of Journal of Private International Law and an editor of the Chinese Journal of Comparative Law. She is one of the authors of Cheshire, North and Fawcett: Private International Law (15th ed), the leading text in this field. She is a regular reviewer for many reputable law journals in the field and prestigious law publishers, including OUP, CUP, Hart, Edward Elgar, etc. She has provided public lectures and training for judges, government officials and legal practitioners in EU, UK, China and Macau. She has led and contributed to research projects funded by the Carnegie Trust, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of PRC, Chinese Social Science Foundation, and European Commission. She serves as an expert for the European Commission DG Justice in the Justice programme and Horizon 2020, and for the National Science Centre in Poland. She is a member of the ESRC Global Challenge Research Fund peer review group. 

Professor Tang is currently the Deputy Postgraduate Research Director and Deputy Chair of Exam  at the School. She previously served as the Director of Research Funding, Deputy Director of Research, Northern Bridge Management Committee Subject Area Coordinator, and NINEDTP and North Doctorial Training Centre Subject Area Coordinator.

Professor Tang's research interest lies in the field of private international law/conflict of laws. Professor Tang's research primarily focuses on European harmonisation of private international law, and the interaction between private international law and other commercial law areas, such as consumer protection, e-commerce, aviation law, commercial corruption, etc. She is also interested in cross-border commercial law, including transnational litigation, class action/collective redress, and international arbitration.

Professor Tang published extensively in her specialised area. She has published five monographs with Hart, Routledge and Edward Elgar. Her articles are published in reputable peer-review journals, such as ICLQ, Modern Law Review, European Law Review, Journal of Private International Law, Hong Kong Law Journal, Edinburgh Law Review and the Netherlands International law Review. She is a frequent speaker in international academic and professional conferences and seminars.

Current Research Projects 

Research Culture in Private International Law

Cross-border Intellectual Property Litigation in China

Cross-Border Consumers in New Economy

PhD Supervision

Conflict of laws/Private international law

International commercial arbitration 

Undergraduate Teaching

Private International Law

Postgraduate Teaching 

International Sale of Goods

International Commercial Arbitration

Courses Previously Taught

Contract Law

Company Law

Professor Tang was nominated for Teaching Excellence Awards (TEAs) 2016 (Taught Supervisor of the Year)

• Tang Z. Validity in Patent Infringement Proceedings -- A New Approach to Transnational Jurisdiction. Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property 2021, 11(1), 47-68.
• Tang Z. Judicial enforcement of intellectual property rights in China — from technical improvement to institutional reform. Asia Pacific Law Review 2019, 27(2), 176-197.
• Tang Z. "The Belt and Road" and Cross-Border Judicial Cooperation. Hong Kong Law Journal 2019, 49(1), 121-152.
• Tang ZS. Future Partnership in EU-UK Cross-Border Civil Judicial Cooperation. European Foreign Affairs Review 2018, 23(4), 565–583.
• Tang Z. UK-EU civil judicial cooperation after Brexit: five models. European Law Review 2018, 43(5), 648-668.
• Torremans P, Grusic U, Heinze C, Merrett L, Mills A, García-Castrillón C, Tang Z, Trimmings K, Walker L, ed. Cheshire, North and Fawcett: Private International Law (15th ed). Oxford University Press, 2017.
• Tang Z. Cross-Border Contract Litigation in the EU. In: Beaumont P; Mihail D; Trimmings K; Burcu Y, ed. Cross-Border Litigation in Europe. London: Bloomsbury, 2017.
• Tang ZS. Choice of Law in Electronic Consumer Contracts: Injunctive Action and Choice-of-Law Clauses. Revue européenne de droit de la consommation 2016, (2), 303-309.
• Tang ZS, Xu L. Choice-of-Court Agreements in Electronic Consumer Contracts in China. Pandora’s Box 2016, 23, 21-30.
• Tang ZS, Xiao Y, Huo Z. Conflict of Laws in the People's Republic of China. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2016.
• Tang ZS. Consumers' Access to Justice in E-Commerce: A Comparative Study. In: 6th Annual Conference: E-Commerce Forum. 2016, China-EU School of Law, CUPL, Beijing.
• Tang ZS. Cross-border contractual disputes: The legislative framework and court practice. In: EUPILLAR Conference on Cross-Border Litigation in Europe. 2016, London School of Economics: Centre for Business Law and Practice (University of Leeds) and Centre for Private International Law (University of Aberdeen).
• Tang ZS. Future Private International Law in the UK: Different Models. In: Changes and Challenges in Cross-Border Litigation: A Post-Referendum View from the UK. 2016, University of London: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.
• Dowers N, Tang ZS. Arbitration in EU Jurisdiction Regime: the Recast Regulation and a New Proposal. Groningen Journal of International Law 2015, 3(1), 125-146.
• Tang ZS. Declining Jurisdiction in Chinese Courts by Forum Non Conveniens. Hong Kong Law Journal 2015, 45(1), 351-372.
• Tang ZS. Electronic Consumer Contracts in the Conflict of Laws. Oxford, UK: Hart Publishing, 2015.
• Tang Sophia. Mandatory Rules in International Arbitration. In: Arbitration and Private International Law Conference. 2015, Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.
• Tang ZS. Consumer contracts and the Internet in EU private international law. In: Savin, A; Trzaskowski, J, ed. Research Handbook on EU Internet Law. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2014, pp.254-284.
• Tang Z. Consumer contracts and the Internet in EU private international law. In: EU Internet Law Conference. 2014, Denmark.
• Tang Z. Cross-Border Enforcement of Gambling Contracts: A Comparative Study. International Journal of Private Law 2014, 7(1), 1-19.
• Tang ZS. Jurisdiction and Arbitration Agreements in International Commercial Law. London: Routledge, 2014.
• Tang Z. Air Carriers’ Obligation in ‘Extraordinary Circumstances’. European Journal of Risk Regulation 2013, 275-259.
• Tang Z. Corruption in International Commercial Arbitration—Special Private International Law issues. In: Conference of the Journal of Private International Law. 2013, Madrid.
• Tang Z. Private International Law is a Component of Domestic Law. Netherland International Law Review 2013, 60, 131-135.
• Tang Z. Conflicts of Jurisdiction and Party Autonomy in Europe. Netherlands International Law Review 2012, 59, 321-359.
• Tang Z. Current Jurisdiction Problems in Consumer Collective Redress. In: ERA Annual Conference on Consumer Law 2012. 2012, Trier, Germany.
• Tang Z. Effectiveness of Exclusive Jurisdiction Clauses in the Chinese Courts. ICLQ 2012, 61, 459-484.
• Tang Z. International Treaties in Chinese Private International Law. Hong Kong Law Journal 2012, 42, 597-632.
• Tang Z. Non-State Law in Party Autonomy. International Journal of Private Law 2012, 5, 22-33.
• Tang Z. Parallel Proceedings and Anti-Arbitration Injunction. Journal of Business Law 2012, 589-610.
• Tang Z. Aviation Jurisdiction and Protection of Air Passengers. Revue Europeenne De Droit De La Consommation 2011, 331-355.
• Tang Z. Consumer Collective Redress in European Private International Law. Journal of Private International Law 2011, 7, 101-141.
• Tang Z. International Treaties in Chinese Private International Law. In: Chinese Private International Law Global Forum 2011. 2011, Beijing, China.
• Tang Z. Private International Law in Consumer Contracts: A European Perspective. Journal of Private International Law 2010, 6, 225-248.
• Tang Z. Consumer Collective Redress in Private International Law. In: Conference of Journal of Private International law 2009. 2009, New York.
• Tang Z. Electronic Consumer Contracts in the Conflict of Laws. Oxford: Hart, 2009.
• Tang Z. European Jurisdiction in Multiple Defendant Litigation. European Law Review 2009, 34, 80-103.
• Tang Z. Interrelationship of European Jurisdiction and Choice of Law in Contracts. Journal of Private International Law 2008, 4, 35-59.
• Tang Z. Law Applicable in the Absence of Choice—The New Article 4 of the Rome I Regulation. Modern Law Review 2008, 71, 785-795.
• Beaumont P, Tang Z. Substance and Procedure: Harding v Wealands and the Rome II Regulation. Edinburgh Law Review 2008, 12, 131-137.
• Tang Z. An Effective Dispute Resolution System for Electronic Consumer Contracts. Computer Law and Security Report 2007, 23, 42-52.
• Tang Z. Interrelationship of Jurisdiction and Choice of Law. In: Conference of Journal of Private International Law 2007. 2007.
• Tang Z. Parties’ Choice of Law in E-Consumer Contracts. Journal of Private International Law 2007, 3, 113-136.
• Tang Z. Effective Dispute Resolution System for E-Consumer Contracts. In: International Conference on Business, Law and Technology (IBLT). 2006, Copenhagen.
• Tang Z. Exclusive Choice Of Forum Clauses And Consumer Contracts In E-Commerce. Journal of Private International Law 2005, 1, 237-268.
• Tang Z. Exclusive Choice of Forum Clauses and Forum Non Conveniens in Electronic Consumer Contracts. In: International Conference to launch the Journal of Private International Law. 2005, Aberdeen.
• Cao Y, Tang Z. A Review of the Theory and Practice of Corporate Rescue. Economics Perspectives 2004, 6, 80-84.
• Tang Z. Application of WTO Law in China. Journal of Central Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences) 2004, 43, 76-80.
• Tang Z. Jurisdiction and Consumer Contracts in E-Commerce. In: International Conference on Electronic Business - Shaping Business Strategy in a Networked World 2004. 2004, Beijing, China.
• Tang Z. Analysis of Applicable Law Principles on Product Liability. Journal of Wuhan University of Technology (Social Science) 2003, 16, 384-388.