The Inaugural Conference of Beijing Comparative Law Association was held in the Shounong Xiangshan Convention Centre in Beijing on the afternoon of 12 Nov, 2022.
The conference was hosted by the Preparatory Group of Beijing Comparative Law Association, and co-organised by the College of Comparative Law and Beijing Zhongce Law Firm. It was held both online and onsite, strictly abiding by the requirements of epidemic prevention.
First-level Inspector of the Beijing Law Society Li Ning, Deputy Director & Second-level Professor of the Liaison Department of the Society Zhou Yuanqing, and Vice President of CUPL Shi Jianzhong attended the meeting. More than 200 experts and scholars from universities and scientific research institutions, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chinese People's Public Security University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing Foreign Studies University and CUPL participated in the conference.
The Beijing Comparative Law Association was the internal organisation of the Beijing Law Society. In response to the policy of "advocating and supporting the registration of associations by qualified research societies that are not registered with the civil affairs departments of the city" in the implementation measures of the Beijing Law Society for the further development of research societies, and in order to realize the standardised and legal management of the society, the former Beijing Comparative Law Society, in accordance with the newly established procedures, was transformed into an independent legal body sponsored by the College of Comparative Law, the Peking University Law School, the Renmin University of China Law School, the Law School of Beijing Normal University, the Law School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, the Law School of the Beijing Technology and Business University Industry and Business University, the Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, the Beijing Zhongce Law Firm and the Beijing Fayi Technology Company.
The Inaugural Conference of the Association was moderated by A/Prof. Li Xiaohui from the College. Li Ning and Shi Jianzhong presented opening remarks respectively.
In his speech, Li Ning said that the Association's transforming from an established body of the Beijing Law Society into an independent legal person was an important measure to implement President Xi Jinping’s important directive spirit on promoting the development of the rule of law in China and the rule of law concerning foreign affairs as a whole and to implement the deployment of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Beijing Municipal Government’s relevant decision. He hoped that the Association's research on comparative law and the rule of law concerning foreign affairs would focus on the four central functions of the capital, on the construction of 'Two Districts', and on the problem-oriented and demand-oriented approaches to provide the construction of the best regions and high-quality economic and social development in rule of law in China with intellectual support and legal guarantee.
Shi Jianzhong said in his speech that the establishment of the Association would greatly promote the construction of the rule of law concerning foreign affairs in Beijing, and would play an important leading role in the whole country, indicating that the Association has a world-view. The China University of Political Science and Law has always attached great importance to the study of the rule of law in relation to foreign affairs and the training of legal talents in relation to foreign affairs. The College of Comparative Law is one of the first institutions in China to establish a secondary discipline of comparative law. The college actively carries out the training of foreign-related legal talents, represented by the direction of the comparison of regional laws of different countries, and contributes to the modernisation of the country's rule of law. Therefore, it is the common goal of the University and the Association to promote the development of the rule of law concerning foreign affairs in the capital and the country. He wished that the Association could take the wind of ruling the country by law in an all-round way, deepen and advance the study of comparative law and rule of law concerning foreign affairs, and promote the prosperity and development of comparative law and rule of law concerning foreign affairs.
Zhou Yuanqing, Dean of the College Xie Zhiyong, Director of Beijing Zhongce Law Firm Liang Qiang and General Manager of Beijing Fayi Technology Company Xu Kexian jointly inaugurated the Beijing Comparative Law Association.
The First Council, Standing Council, President, Vice-President, Secretary-General and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the Beijing Institute of Comparative Law were elected on the conference. Xie Zhiyong was elected as President, and professors from the College of Comparative Law including Fei Anling was elected as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Liu Chengwei as Vice-President, Li Xiaohui Secretary-General & Vice-President, and Xie Libin, Zhang Tong, Yuan Yi as Executive Director. Professors from CUPL including Luo Zhimin and Zhao Hong from the School of Law and Lin Hongchao from the School of Law-Based Government were also elected as Executive Director.
Xie Zhiyong later said that the Association should build a platform for exchanges and cooperation between the academic and practical departments, provide foreign-related rule of law research and practical work with intellectual support, and actively participate in foreign-related rule of law research and personnel training. He hoped that the Association would become a platform for the exchange of comparative law and foreign law studies around the country with the capital as the center.
Liang Qiang, A/Prof. Lu Nan from Tsinghua University School of Law and internet business compliance expert Xue Ying delivered their keynote speeches. A number of experts and scholars actively participated in the free discussion.
The Beijing Institute of Comparative Law will integrate existing research resources and build a high-level research platform according to the requirements of the development of foreign-related rule of law, its own characteristics and the needs of its members, to carry out theoretical research, discussion and exchange, advisory services, extra-territorial legal ascertainment and translation in the fields of comparative law and foreign-related rule of law, and to participate in the training of talents in comparative law and foreign-related rule of law, so as to be grounded in practice, take the initiative to strengthen the practice-oriented and rule of law-building capacity to participate in the reality, with effective work, and contribute to the capital and the country's domestic and foreign-related rule of law-building.
