University of Helsinki
Professor Juha Raitio visited Beijing on 15-16 October 2016 and participated in the Fourth China-Europe Legal Forum as a representative of the University of Helsinki. The organizer of the event was the College of Comparative Law at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). The team of this year Forum was “The Legal Cooperation in Risk Prevention Mechanism for ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative”.
The Forum has been also to mark a new stage in the legal exchange and cooperation between China and Europe by launching the China-Europe Legal Research Center and China-Europe Legal Training Base. Professor Raitio became one of the Guest Research Fellows of the newly founded China-Europe Research Center. This is just a token of our close connections to the legal education and research in Beijing.
The next edition of this yearly event will be held by China Law Society and Society of Comparative Legislation in Paris in the fall of 2017. Already now, we are honored to announce that the 6th China –Europe Legal Forum will be held in Helsinki at the Law Faculty, University of Helsinki in 2018.
In 2013, China Law Society initiated the China–Europe Legal Forum. The Forum aims at promoting the exchange and cooperation in the field of law and economy between China and Europe, strengthening the understanding and communication between Chinese and European legal professionals, providing legal safeguard and service for the cooperation in the fields of investment, trade and environment protection, etc. The Forum plays a positive role in improving the development of comprehensive strategic partnership of China and Europe.
At the occasion of this visit to Beijing, Professor Raitio visited the Peking University Law School and gave a lecture on “The Principles of Legal Certainty and the Rule of Law”. This lecture is the latest manifestation of the growing cooperation within the PKU-Helsinki Law Connection framework. This partnership between Peking University Law School and the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki aims to consolidate and make more visible the already existing and fruitful co-operation as well as to develop new forms of collaboration for the mutual benefit. The goal is to make the existing forms of co-operation, lecture series, joint-seminars, joint publications and staff mobility, a part of the permanent structure of both institutions.
International cooperation between legal scholars cannot be developed in conference rooms only and one needs to familiarize himself with the broader historical, cultural and societal context. Therefore, Professor Raitio has also took the time to visit Beijing’s landmarks and taste traditional local food.