This panel explores relationships between sovereign prerogative, legality and rights in different Asian contexts. Eva Pils and Rawin Leelapatana apply long-standing theorisation about exceptional state power to contemporary politics in China and Thailand respectively. Pils draws on Frankel‘s conception of the “dual state“ to analyse the reversion to arbitrary displays of state power in China. Leelapatana argues that, even in a non-liberal political regime such as Thailand, the Schmittian conception of sovereignty has declining viability and explanatory power. Surabhi Chopra and Hualing Fu consider the security-based arguments states make when their powers are challenged. Chopra examines arguments the Indian government makes to preserve impunity for armed forces fighting separatist groups, and reflects upon wider debates about constitutional retrogression. Fu looks at security-based, rule-based, and rights-based responses to political protest in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China.