Xiao Mao

Xiao Mao is a DPhil in Law candidate at the University of Oxford, and her DPhil research explores the concept of impartiality in international courts and tribunals. She is a 2018 Chinese Rhodes Scholar. Her research is supervised by Professor Dan Sarooshi KC. 

She holds degrees from University of Oxford (MPhil), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Msc), University College London (LLM, dist) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (LLB, dist). 

She devotes herself to international legal research, teaching, and practice in various roles. She has worked at the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence at the International Criminal Court (2023) and at the International Court of Justice (Judicial Fellow nominated by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2021-2022). She has taught international law courses for University of Oxford (GTA for Public International Law 2020-2021, 2022-2023), Jindal-Somerville Summer School on International Law (2023), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Visiting Scholar, 2021), and several other Chinese universities. She also has work experience at Pro-bono International Law Firm (Public International Law and Policy Group), NGO (Chinese Initiative on International Law), and international law research institutions (Centre for Tokyo Trial Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University,  Centre for International Criminal Justice at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). She is an assistant editor for Chinese Journal of International Law (2020 - Present) and Asian Journal of Law and Society (2018-2020), and an editor for Amsterdam Law Forum (2017-2018). Furthermore, she has served as a co-convenor of Chinese Law Discussion Group (2018-2021).

Besides the Rhodes Scholarship, her study and research were sponsored by a number of scholarships and awards, such as the VUFP/Orange Tulip Scholarship awarded by the Netherlands Education Support Offices, National Scholarship awarded by the Chinese Ministry of Education, KoGuan Scholarship (twice), Chun-Tsung Scholarship, and Top 1% Excellent Bachelor Thesis, etc. 

Publications 

Articles

• Xiao Mao, ‘Public-Interest Litigation in the International Court of Justice: Comment on The Gambia v Myanmar case’, Chinese Journal of International Law, 2022, Vol. 21.
• Xiao Mao, ‘The Function of Amicus Curiae Participation by Legal Scholars: The Al-Bashir Appeal Case at the International Criminal Court as an Illustration’, Chinese Journal of International Law, June 2019, Vol. 18, No.2, pp. 393–424.
• Xiao Mao, ‘Substantive or Jurisdictional? The Nature of Tokyo Charter and the Legality Challenge for Prosecuting Aggression at the Tokyo International Military Tribunal’, Journal of East Asia and International Law, 2018, Vo. 11, No. 2, pp. 435-452. The Chinese version was published in《战争审判研究》(Journal of War Crimes and Trials Study), 2021, Vol. 1, pp. 29-47.
• Xiao Mao, ‘Are “Unlawful Combatants” Protected under International Humanitarian Law?’, Amsterdam Law Forum, Spring Issue, Vol 10, No 2 (2018), pp. 62-71 (Included in ICRC’s casebook ‘How does Law Protect in War’ as a suggested reading for the topic of the principle of distinction).
• Xiao Mao, Yi Zhao, ‘Self-Defense and the Author of an Armed Attack in the Context of Anti-Terrorism’, Youth Law Review of Sun Yat-sen University, 2018, Vol. 2, pp.1-25 (in Chinese).
• Wangwang Xing, Xiao Mao, ‘Jurisdiction of International Criminal Court on Violent Crimes on the Sea under the Clause of Crimes Against Humanity’, Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 2017, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 68-80 (in Chinese).
• Xiao Mao, ‘Omission Liability for War Crime Charges in International Military Tribunal for The Far East’, International Journal of Law and Legal Jurisprudence Studies, 2017, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 36-53; A more detailed Chinese version was published as a top 1% bachelor thesis on Student Achievement Display Platform of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Shorter Articles, Comments and Reports

• Xiao Mao, ‘Letter to the Journal: Comments on the Text of the Draft Conclusions on General Principles of Law Adopted by the ILC on First Reading’, Chinese Journal of International Law, 2024.
• Shannon Peters, Xiao Mao, ‘Working Session Report for Committee on Use of Force: Military Assistance on Request’, International Law Association Reports of Conferences, 2020, vol. 79, p. 673 ff. 
• Xiao Mao, ‘Working Session Report for Committee on the Procedure of International Courts and Tribunals’, International Law Association Reports of Conferences, 2020, vol. 79, p. 377 ff.
• Xiao Mao, ‘Letter to the Journal: Self-Defense and Attribution of Armed Attacks in the Context of Anti-Terrorism’, Chinese Journal of International Law, 2020, Vol. 19, No.1, pp. 173-176.
• Xiao Mao and Mimi Zou, ‘“Journey to the West”: Tim Clissold on Corporate Governance of Chinese Firms’, Chinese Law Discussion Group Blog, 6 Nov 2018.
• Xiao Mao et al., ‘Comment on the Conference “70 Years Later: The International Military Tribunal for The Far East” – An Overview of The International Conference Held by The International Nuremberg Principles Academy 17-19 May 2018’,Amsterdam Law Forum, Vol.11. No. 1 (2019), pp. 66-81.