On the morning of April 17, 2023, the second "Forum for Deans on Legal Education in China’s Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau" was grandly held at Lecture Hall N101 of Macau University of Science and Technology. The event was organized by the Faculty of Law of Macau University of Science and Technology and supported by the Macau University of Science and Technology Foundation. Twenty deans from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and German law schools gathered at Macau University of Science and Technology to discuss innovation and reform in legal education.
The opening ceremony was jointly hosted by Li Xuefei, Minister of the Education and Youth Work Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR); Teng Sio Hong, Deputy Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR Government; Leong Weng In, Acting Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government; Vong Hinfai, Chairman of the Macau Lawyers Association; Mok Kaimeng, President of the Macau Higher Education Development Promotion Association; Jia Liqun, General Manager of China Legal Services (Macau) Company; Lei Wunkong, Member of the Basic Law Committee of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Senior Counsel; Pang Chuan, Vice President of Macau University of Science and Technology; and Fang Quan, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony with the honored guests
(From left to right: Dean Fang Quan, General Manager Jia Liqun, Chairman Vong Hinfai, Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong, Minister Li Xuefei, Acting Director Leong Weng In, President Mok Kaimeng, Vice President Pang Chuan, Senior Counsel Lei Wunkong)
The forum invited Vice Dean Ding Chunyan from the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong, Dean Fang Xinjun from Kenneth Wang School of Law at Soochow University, Dean He Zhipeng from the Law School at Jilin University, Dean Li Yuhua from the Law School at People's Public Security University of China, Dean Li Bingshuo from the Law School at Jiangsu University, Dean Li Shouping from the Law School at Beijing Institute of Technology, Vice Dean Du Yu from the Law School at Fudan University, Dean Zhou Changjun from the Law School at Shandong University, Dean Hu Rong'en from the School of Economic Law at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Dean Hu Ming from the Guanghua Law School at Zhejiang University, Dean Io Cheng TONG from the Faculty of Law at University of Macau, Dean Sun Wanhuai from the Criminal Law School at East China University of Political Science and Law, Deputy Secretary-General Shi Yan'an from the National Law Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee, Dean Xu Shenjian from the Law School at China University of Political Science and Law, Dean Peng Chengxin from the KoGuan Law School at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Vice Dean Cheng Xiao from the Law School at Tsinghua University, Dean Huang Yuye from the School of Intellectual Property at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Vice President Ip Kuaipeng from City University of Macau, and Dean Lu Xiaoming from the Law School at Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, as well as special guest Thomas M. J. Möllers, International Affairs Dean from the Faculty of Law at the University of Augsburg in Germany, to discuss legal education.
Photo of the distinguished guests and participating deans
Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of Macao SAR expressed that several universities in Macao offer specialized courses related to law. Over the years, the SAR government has been committed to promoting in-depth study of the Constitution and the Basic Law of Macao in higher education institutions, aiming to equip local students with comprehensive legal literacy and a sense of patriotism and love for Macao. Legal education is facing challenges posed by cross-regional issues and emerging technologies. It is hoped that this forum will facilitate academic exchanges among institutions and jointly promote the development of legal education, making contributions to the construction of a rule of law society and talent cultivation.
Speech by Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of Macao SAR.
Vice President Pang Chuan of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) welcomed the distinguished guests and deans on behalf of the university, expressing gratitude for their presence. In his speech, he emphasized that the university upholds the motto of "Dedication to practical studies, enhancement of knowledge, ability and quality." and, with the support of various sectors of society and the collective efforts of faculty, students, and staff, has rapidly developed into the largest comprehensive university in Macao. According to the 2023 World University Rankings released by Times Higher Education, MUST has successfully entered the top 250 universities globally. The Law School, as one of the four founding colleges of Macau University of Science and Technology, receives strong support from the university in terms of teaching and research. It leverages its unique characteristics as a law school in the special administrative region, aiming to cultivate more legal professionals who can contribute to the national development agenda and the Greater Bay Area construction.
Speech by Vice President Pang Chuan of M.U,S.T.
Dean Fang Quan of the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) expressed that in this new era of change, legal education may need to move away from a retrospective epistemological standpoint and adopt a forward-looking and anticipatory approach, constantly updating educational concepts and teaching methods. In February of this year, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Development of Legal Education and Legal Theory Research in the New Era." Against this backdrop, the Second Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao Legal Education Deans Forum is being held with the aim of promoting exchange and cooperation among the law schools in the three regions and jointly advancing the innovative development of legal education in China.
Speech by Dean Fang Quan of the Faculty of Law at M.U,S.T.
Dean Fang Quan presented commemorative gifts to the deans participating in the first unit of the forum.
(From left to right: Dean He Zhipeng, Director Zhang Jidong representing Dean Hu Ming, Vice Dean Cheng Xiao, Dean Fang Xinjun, Dean Huang Yuye, Dean Hu Rong'en, and Dean Xu Shenjian.)
Dean Fang Quan also presented commemorative gifts to the deans participating in the second unit of the forum.
(From left to right: Dean Li Bingshuo, Vice Secretary-General Shi Yan'an, Dean Io Cheng TONG, and Vice Dean Du Yu.)
Finally, Dean Fang Quan presented commemorative gifts to the deans participating in the third unit of the forum.
(From left to right: Dean Sun Wanhuai, Dean Peng Chengxin, Dean Zhou Changjun, Dean Li Shouping, Dean Lu Xiaoming, and Vice Dean Ding Chunyan.)
The forum was divided into three units. Dean Fang Quan of the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) presided over the first unit, which focused on "Legal Education Reform and Innovation". During this session, Dean He Zhipeng of the Law School at Jilin University discussed the knowledge paradigm and ability paradigm for cultivating legal talent. Vice Dean Cheng Xiao of the Law School at Tsinghua University shared his insights on the construction and development of emerging legal disciplines. Dean Hu Rong'en of the School of Economic Law at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law introduced innovative attempts to cultivate foreign legal talent, using the example of the Silk Road Lawyer Institute at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. Dean Huang Yuye of the School of Intellectual Property at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law discussed his thoughts on cultivating professional masters in intellectual property. Bi Jingwei, Program Director of the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology, also participated in the discussions.
Forum's First Unit: "Reform and Innovation in Legal Education"
Professor Sun Nanshen, distinguished professor at the Faculty of Law, Macau University of Science and Technology, chaired the second unit titled "Exploring New Approaches to Legal Practice Teaching." During this session, Deputy Secretary-General Shi Yan'an of the National Guidance Committee for Legal Graduate Education discussed the practical teaching issues for legal professional graduate students. Dean Li Yuhua of the Law School at People's Public Security University of China shared her experiences in the continued cultivation of high-quality legal talent. Dean Li Bingshuo of the Law School at Jiangsu University mentioned the three dimensions of enhancing the level of legal talent cultivation through practical competitions. Dean Io Cheng TONG of the Faculty of Law at the University of Macau introduced contemporary legal education in Macau. Dr. Thomas M. J. Möllers, Dean of International Affairs, shared the current status and future of legal education in Germany. Vice Dean Du Yu of the Law School at Fudan University presented the Fudan program on practical course construction. Xie Gengliang, Program Director of the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology, participated in the discussion.
Forum's Second Unit: "Exploring New Approaches to Legal Practice Teaching"
Dean Sun Wanhuai of the Criminal Law School at East China University of Political Science and Law chaired the third unit titled "Cross-Disciplinary Legal Talent Cultivation." During this session, Dean Peng Chengxin of the KoGuan Law School at Shanghai Jiao Tong University shared his insights on cross-disciplinary legal talent cultivation and new era legal education. Dean Li Shouping of the Law School at Beijing Institute of Technology discussed China's cultivation of legal talent in foreign-related legal affairs. Deputy President Ip Kuaipeng of City University of Macau mentioned the issue of cultivating bilingual legal talent in the Sino-Portuguese context. Associate Dean Ding Chunyan of the Law School at City University of Hong Kong shared the situation of legal education in Hong Kong, as well as the cultivation of cross-border legal elite talent. Associate Professor Yi Zaicheng, Director of the Legal Practice Teaching Center at the Faculty of Law, Macau University of Science and Technology, participated in the discussion.
Forum's Third Unit: "Cross-Disciplinary Legal Talent Cultivation"
At the end of the forum, Dean Fang Quan of the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology delivered the closing remarks. Dean Fang expressed gratitude for the trust and support from the deans of law schools from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Germany. This forum was the first large-scale offline academic event organized by the law school after the pandemic. It was hoped that through this opportunity, closer connections, deepened friendships, and collaborative development could be achieved with various law schools.
Deputy Director Xu Zhiping of the Education and Youth Work Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau Special Administrative Region, Researcher Tang Zhi from the General Office of the Legal Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau Special Administrative Region, as well as other external guests and faculty members and students of the Faculty of Law, totaling more than 150 people, attended the forum together.
