On Wednesday 29 November 2017, the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture hosted a guest lecture by Professor LONG Weiqiu of Beihang University, China.
Professor Long, a Fulbright Scholar and Dean of the Law School of Beihang University, gave a lecture on ‘Codification of Civil Law in China: Recent Developments and Future Prospects’.
Dean Long’s lecture introduced the motivations, conditions and bases of the current codification of civil law in China, and discussed the controversies regarding the framework and other crucial matters.
Dean Long also commented on the relationship between the new civil code and the existing civil law system in China, and shared his thoughts on the prospects for future codification.
On 21 November 2017, the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture, with member institutions the University of Helsinki (Faculty of Law) and the Finnish Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, hosted a bilateral legal seminar with six senior judges from the Chinese province of Yunnan. Yunnan is situated in the south of China and has a population of roughly 50 million.
The theme for the seminar was ‘Juvenile Offenders in China and Finland’.
The Chinese delegation was headed by Mr. Li Xuesong, Vice President of the High People’s Court of Yunnan Province. Mr Lu Xiaokun, Chief Judge of the High People’s Court of Yunnan Province, was also a member of the delegation.
During his presentation, Vice President Li underscored that the treatment of children and the centrality of the ‘best interests of the child’ principle are paramount. ‘Governments everywhere’, he said, ‘should take care of children and strive to create better conditions, including educational opportunities, to promote the healthy development of youth’. Vice President Li also emphasized that the treatment of juvenile offenders by the criminal justice system was an issue the Yunnan legal system takes very seriously. Yunnan province has advanced the protection of children in its criminal justice system in a number of ways. ‘For example’, Vice President Li said, ‘we are strengthening judicial institutions and training judges to better deal with juvenile justice issues…and constantly innovating to improve the treatment of children in the court system’.
Professors Nuotio and Lappi-Seppälä noted that while there were differences between the Chinese and Finnish approaches to juvenile offenders, the similarities in terms of underlying principles and many aspects of the treatment of juveniles in court were notable.
During his presentation, Lappi-Seppälä gave an overview of the ‘Nordic’ model of the treatment of juvenile offenders, noting that the state criminal justice system operates independently alongside municipal child protection services, with the primary emphasis in dealing with juvenile crime lying with child welfare and social services.
Professor Lappi-Seppälä noted that the criminal justice system and child welfare institutions operated under different principles. ‘Child welfare interventions are undertaken under the principle of the ‘best interests of the child’, Professor Lappi-Seppälä observed. ‘All such interventions are supportive and criminal acts have little or no formal role. In contrast, on the ‘criminal justice side’, specific penalties applicable to juveniles are restricted – but now expanding – and the general structure is as follows: diversion, fines, community alternatives, and the finally, custody’.
During their presentation, Professors Nuotio and Lappi-Seppälä shared a number of statistics about juvenile offenders in Finland. Of particular interest to the Chinese judges was the fact that at present, there are only five children aged 15-17 in custody in Finland, a figure so low that it also surprised those more familiar with Finland’s legal system.
The importance of the visit to Finland by senior judges should not be underestimated. The delegation visited Finland to learn from its experience because of Finland’s, and more generally the Nordic region’s, international reputation in reducing the total number and proportion of juvenile offenders, and to reducing to virtually zero the number of children in custody. As Professor Nuotio noted, the population of Yunnan province, at close to 50 million, was around double that of the all the Nordic countries together. Given the size of Yunnan province, even a small change in judicial practice, therefore, would affect the lives of a great many children.
Following the seminar, the judges were given a tour of the China Center Collection, housed in the University of Helsinki’s main library, Kaisa-talo. Special thanks to librarians Leena Huovinen and Eeva Henriksson for giving the tour and for their efforts in supporting the growing collection of publications in the Collection on Chinese law and legal culture.
The Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture is pleased to announce an upcoming guest lecture by Professor LONG Weiqiu of Beihang University, China.
Professor Long, a Fulbright Scholar and Dean of the Law School of Beihang University, will give a lecture on ‘Codification of Civil Law in China: Recent Developments and Future Prospects’.
Dean Long’s lecture will introduce the motivations, conditions and bases of the current codification of civil law in China. It will discuss and analyze the controversies regarding the framework and other crucial matters, and also comment on the relationship between the new civil code and the existing civil law system in China. Finally, Dean Long will share his thoughts on the prospects for future codification.
The lecture will be held on Wednesday, 29 November 2017 at 10:15 in the Meeting Room of the Law Faculty, University of Helsinki (Room 545, 5th floor, Porthania Building, Yliospistonkatu 3, Helsinki).
The presentation will be followed by a discussion, and the event is expected to finish at 11:30.
The lecture is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Stuart Mooney, Coordinator of the Finnish China Law Center, via email at stuart.mooney (at) helsinki.fi.
The theme of this year’s events was China-US Relations and Asian Security. The theme was timely given the concurrent visit of US President Donald Trump to Asia, which included a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The backdrop to the meeting of the two presidents, and to the theme of this year’s China Research Day and Asian Studies Days, is the relative stability of East Asia over the last few decades. Despite historical grievances that have affected intra-regional relations politically, economic inter-dependencies have made the region’s actors seek cooperation rather than conflict.
However, as was highlighted throughout the two-day event, recently there have been indications that the situation may be changing. China’s actions in the East and South China Seas have been regarded by some commentators as increasingly assertive. The Trump presidency has introduced a heightened level of tension in China–US relations. And the bold nuclear and missile tests by North Korea have heightened the risk of a military confrontation in the region.
During her welcoming words and introductionJulie Chen, Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Helsinki and Director the Confucius Institute of the University of Helsinki, provided the packed venue with an overview of the broader theoretical and political context in which security tensions in the Asia/Pacific region are being experienced.
Dr Sabine Burghart, newly arrived University Lecturer in the Center of East Asian Studies, University of Turku, commented on the North Korean aspect of US-China relations, andJyrki Kallio, Senior Research Fellow of the the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, shared his thoughts on China’s strategy in the South China Sea dispute.
The calibre of speakers, as well as the timeliness and importance of the main theme, meant that over 130 people participated in the events. Professor Shi was also interviewed by the Finnish television station MTV3.
As Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish China Law Center, said during her speech at the reception, the official City of Helsinki reception not only underscores the importance of bilateral legal education and research cooperation between Finland and China, but highlights the special, long-term relationship that exists between the capital cities of Helsinki and Beijing.
The organizers would also like to acknowledge the generous assistance provided by the Joel Toivola Foundation.
Please note that the morning session on Thursday 9 November is a public event for which registration is not required.
13:00-15:30 China Research Day
13:00 Tea and coffee
13:30 Chair: Elina SINKKONEN, Senior Research Fellow, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Welcoming words and introduction to the theme: Julie CHEN, Professor of Chinese Studies, University of Helsinki
The United States and China Today: The Emerging Strategic Retrenchment in Dynamic Uncertainties: SHI Yinhong, Professor of International Relations, Renmin University of China
China’s Strategy in the South China Sea Dispute: LI Mingjiang, Professor, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Comments: Jyrki KALLIO, Senior Research Fellow, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
15:30 End of seminar
18:30–19:30 Reception hosted by the City of Helsinki, Old Court House, Aleksanterinkatu 20
Please note the afternoon session of Thursday 9 November requires registration. A detailed program of this event, including information registration, can be found on the China Research Day event page.
Friday 10 NovemberDoctoral training seminar
Venue: Unioninkatu 38, seminar rooms D112 and D113.
9:00-11:00 Introductory sessions
11:00-12:00 Lunch
12:00-13:30 Second session
13:30-14:00 Coffee/tea
14:00-15:00 Final session
Please note that the registration period for participation in the doctoral training seminar has ended.
Further information
Additional information about the morning session of Thursday 9 November and the Doctorial Seminar on Friday 10 November can be found on the Asianet website. Please direct questions to Outi Luova, Director of the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies, at outluo (at) utu.fi.
For more information about the afternoon session of Thursday 9 November (that is, China Research Day) please see the full program with speaker biographies. If you have any questions about the China Research Day please contact Kukka-Maria Kovsky via telephone at +358 9 432 7718 or via at kukka-maria.kovsky (at) fiia.fi.
Event organizers:
The Asian Studies Days event is proudly organized by:
The annual China Research Day for 2017 will be held on Thursday 9 November from 13:30 – 15:30 at the University of Helsinki (Unioninkatu 35 (1st floor), Auditorium 116).
East Asia has for decades been a haven of stability. Despite the historical grievances affecting the intra-regional relations politically, the economic interdependencies have made the region’s actors seek cooperation over conflict. Recently, worries have emerged about the situation changing. China’s actions in the East and South China Seas can be regarded as more assertive than before, the presidency of Donald Trump has introduced a heightened level of tension in China–US relations, and the bold nuclear and missile tests by North Korea have actualized the risk of a military confrontation in the region in an unprecedented manner. The theme “China–US Relations and Asian Security” will be discussed by two prominent keynote speakers, highlighting the views from Asia and China in particular.
Registration process
The participants of the seminar are also invited to a reception hosted by the City of Helsinki (by pre-registration only, for a limited number of participants).
Those who would like to participate in the event are kindly asked to confirm their participation both to the seminar and the reception by Wednesday 1 Novemberby filling out this registration form:
When filling out the form, please indicate any dietary restrictions.
Program
13:00 Tea and coffee
13:30 Chair: Elina SINKKONEN, Senior Research Fellow, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Welcoming words and introduction to the theme: Julie CHEN, Professor of Chinese Studies, University of Helsinki
The United States and China Today: The Emerging Strategic Retrenchment in Dynamic Uncertainties: SHI Yinhong, Professor of International Relations, Renmin University of China
Comments: Jyrki KALLIO, Senior Research Fellow, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
15:30 End of seminar
18:30–19:30 Reception hosted by the City of Helsinki, Old Court House, Aleksanterinkatu 20
Please note that the dress code for the reception is smart casual. Once your registration has been confirmed you will receive an invitation for the reception which you need to print out and present at the entrance.
Further information
Biographies of the speakers and further information about the event can be found here.
If you have any questions or for further information, please contact Kukka-Maria Kovsky via telephone at +358 9 432 7718 or via email at kukka-maria.kovsky (at) fiia.fi.
Organizing institutions
The China Research Day event is proudly organized by:
The University of Tampere, a member institution of the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture, has established a knowledge hub focusing on Chinese and Russian media: the Tampere Research Centre for Russian and Chinese Media (TaRC).
TaRC’s opening seminar will be held in the University of Tampere (Pinni B Building) on 2–3 November 2017.
Please register electronically through this link: https://elomake3.uta.fi/lomakkeet/1986
The event is free of charge.
About TaRC
TaRC draws on knowledge and experience from different professional fields and pursues a multidisciplinary approach in the areas of media and cultural studies. TaRC aims to:
• advance new areas of research;
• develop international projects;
• provide education in a multilingual environment;
• facilitate understanding and knowledge exchange between East and West.
Scholars are invited to revisit discussions of the Chinese model of governance and articulate the old and new features of Xi Jinping’s model of governance. Most current research on the China model debates whether there is such model, and the characteristics and essences of the model if it exists. This conference welcomes critical empirical case studies of various manifestations of the Chinese model of governance, ranging from local governance, local election, civil society to economic policies.
Submissions to present at the conference are requested by 1 November 2017.
Please the title of your proposed presentation, an abstract (150 words), brief biographical information and contact details to the Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Helsinki, Professor Julie Chen, at julie.chen (at) helsinki.fi.
On 28-29 August 2017, the Finnish Center of Chinese Law and Chinese Legal Culture organized the 8th Sino-Finnish Bilateral Seminar on Comparative Law. The seminar is held annually and its location alternates between China and Finland. This year the seminar was hosted by two of the Finnish China Law Center’s member institutions, the University of Helsinki and University of Tampere.
CASS Law delegation in Finland
The value of the seminar as a vehicle for meaningful legal collaboration and comparative law exchange was underscored by the visit of six academics from a leading Chinese research and education institution, the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS) Institute of Law. These distinguished academics included the Director of the Institute of Law, Professor Li Lin, and Professor Xie Zengyi.
Both of these well-respected academics have had long connections with the Finnish China Law Center. The seminar also brought together researchers from universities across Finland, including active representation and participation from most of the Center’s 10 member institutions.
Strengthening Finnish – and Nordic – bilateral cooperation
According to Professor Li Lin, this year’s seminar was a ‘tremendous success’. A sentiment repeated throughout the seminar was the importance of further deepening legal education and research collaboration between not just Finland and China, but China and other Nordic countries.
As was underscored by Professor Li Lin, Professor Kimmo Nuotio, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki, and Professor Ulla Liukkunen, Director of the Finnish China Law Center, the long and rich historical relationship between Finland and China provides fertile ground in which deepening cooperation can flourish.
The importance of strengthening bilateral legal education and research between Finland and China transcends the historical connections linking the two countries.
Professor Li Lin highlighted four key areas of mutual concern. First, there is significant alignment between China’s values and ideas and the concept of solidarity in the Nordic context. Second, there is overlap between the goals of China and Finland’s social security systems, with China seeking to actively learn from the Nordic welfare model. Third, environmental rights are an area of mutual concern, with China transitioning towards ‘Green China’ and emphasizing the importance of having an ‘ecological civilization’. And fourth, the rule of law, human rights and judicial cooperation are areas of joint interest.
While China’s legal system has changed significantly in these respects, there ‘still remains much to be done’, Professor Li Lin said.
Seminar co-organizer Professor Jukka Viljanen from the University of Tampere echoed these thoughts. He observed that it is important that we recognize Finland and China face common issues, which can be fruitfully approached from a comparative law perspective.
The seminar tradition is not simply a unique opportunity for the robust exchange of views on areas of mutual concern. Rather, it has also been a practical forum that may result in new bilateral research projects, like the one on law and gender, as Professor Liukkunen underscored.
In China, the bilateral seminars and resulting collaboration impacted on policy-making. Professor Li Lin noted that ‘the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise have manifested themselves in reports that have influenced Chinese decision makers’.
‘So while this is an academic platform’, Professor Li Lin said, ‘it has a practical impact on development of rule of law in China and its modernization. It has a real impact’.
Among other concrete proposals for expanding the relationship between CASS and the member institutions of the Finnish China Law Center, Professor Li Lin said CASS’s new university provides an additional ‘platform to further expand our cooperation’.
Thematic areas of the seminar
This year’s seminar covered four legal fields. Focusing on such a multidimensional spectrum of issues provided rich opportunities for comparative assessments. Comparisons were made not just between Finnish and Chinese law and legal practice, but with the Nordic legal model more broadly.
The second thematic area covered was transport law. Professor Ellen Eftestöl-Wilhelmsson from the University of Helsinki spoke on the role of environmental information in promoting a sustainable transport industry. Associate Professor Li Zhong from the CASS Institute of Law gave an overview of developments in Chinese transport law in China. Lastly, Professor Lena Sisula-Tulokas adroitly drew out common themes, parallels and challenges facing both Finland and the Nordic countries.
A third thematic area analyzed was public procurement. University Lecturer Dr Kristian Siikavirta shared his knowledge of the European and Finnish public procurement systems and how they work based on his research at the University of Vaasa.
Associate Professor Wang Xiaomei presented her impressively data-driven research undertaken in the CASS Institute of Law into transparency in public procurement in China. In her comments, Post-Doctoral Researcher Dr. Zhang Yihong, based in the University of Helsinki, identified broader political/legal implications of the presentations and highlighted areas of further research.
Environmental law was the final area to be discussed. This was clearly a field of significant mutual interest. Professor Antti Belinskij, based at the University of Eastern Finland, discussed international Water Conventions and Finnish-Russian cooperation. Professor Li Honglei from the CASS Institute of Law spoke on judicial review of environmental impact assessment decision-making in China. In summing up, Dr Yulia Yamineva drew upon her experience as a Senior Researcher in the University of Eastern Finland and provided comments drawing together both comparative and international law dimensions.
Other presentations on environmental law were given by Professor Jukka Viljanen, who enlightened listeners on the environmental right in the Finnish constitution. Professor Viljanen’s talk provided a departure point for another visiting CASS Institute of Law researcher, Associate Professor Jin Shanming, to reflect on the constitutional protection of environmental rights in China. University Teacher Heta Heiskanen from the University of Tampere then highlighted how international human rights obligations contribute to environmental rights in Finland. Finally, Post-Doctoral Researcher Sanna Kopra from the University of Lapland identified key comparative law insights that formed the basis of a subject of lively discussion among participants on environmental rights in China and Finland.
Upcoming book publication
Reflecting the high quality of speeches and discussions over the two days, presentations given during the seminar will form the basis for chapters in an upcoming book to be published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Concluding thoughts
The annual bilateral seminars play an important role in building legal research and education links between Finland and China. With such positive outcomes, this year’s seminar paves the way for future opportunities for Finnish and Chinese universities and research institutions to collaborate.
As Professor Liukkunen emphasized in her closing remarks, the seminar again highlighted the relevance of comparative law including the growing significance of the Nordic model in Chinese policy and academic circles.
‘We make comparisons’, Professor Liukkunen concluded. ‘We must realize that what appear to be similar can in fact be different. We need to have tools and equip ourselves to deal with obstacles and challenges in this undertaking, for which this seminar is a unique setting’.
Next year’s bilateral comparative law seminar will be held in China.
FinCEAL Plus Asia, a program financed by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, has opened a targeted travel grant call to support the participation of 1-3 senior level experts from Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences or research institutions interested in attending the Matchmaking Tour to China (Chengdu, Beijing and Qingdao).
The Matchmaking Tour to China is organized by the European Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence in China (ERICENA) from 23-31 October 2017.
ERICENA will be officially launched and setup in Beijing in October 2017 with a first regional Centre in Chengdu, during Matchmaking tour in Beijing, Chengdu and Qingdao from 24th until 31 of October 2017.
More information about the Matchmaking Tour, including registration, can be found here.
The travel grant call is directed to experts – including legal experts – focusing on or interested in building further collaboration with partners in China. The thematic areas include renewable energy, ICT, health, food security and safety, water management, cleantech, and nanotechnology.
Please note that the travel grant call is only for senior level experts (with a strong academic background), of Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences and research centers, and residing in Finland only, and only for this particular event. Interested researchers should send a short description detailing their interest in the event and how it relates to their work and FinCEAL Plus Asia thematic areas. A CV or link to your profile should also be included.
FinCEAL Plus Asia will award 1-3 grants. The maximum individual grants are between 1400€-1500€ depending on the destination and departure city in Finland. The grant can be used to cover travel, accommodation, and daily allowances. The deadline for sending the travel grant applications is 13 September. The deadline for the registration to the Matchmaking tour is 17 September.
More information about the travel grant call can be found here.
All applications and related questions should be sent by email to Jarkko Mutanen, Jarkko. Mutanen[at]uef.fi, Coordinator of FinCEAL Plus Asia.
The Helsinki Summer School Course: Law and Society in China took place at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki in August. The course was coordinated and taught by the Finnish China Law Center’s postdoctoral researcher Dr. Yihong Zhang, together with guest lecturers from the United Kingdom (Professor Eva Pils), Italy (Dr. Flora Sapio) and the Hong Kong SAR (Professor Chao Xi). This year is the first time that the Helsinki Summer School offers a course on Chinese law. Students from nine different countries and three continents have participated in this two-week intensive course.
The course provides a unique exposure to research and scholarship on the Chinese legal system. It covers a wide range of legal areas, including criminal justice, corporate social responsibility, company law, foreign investment law and securities regulation, etc. One student of the course, Steffen Schwardmann, who is studying Political Science and Sociology at the University of Kassel said that “The broad range of topics made the course immensely informative.”
The course highlights the comparative value of learning about the Chinese legal system. Another student of the course, Amanda Allcock, who is studying law at the King’s College London said that the course helped her to “place China’s legal system in a global context and use my own understanding of UK law to compare and contrast.” She also recognized that the course has allowed her “to critically analyze both systems and look to future developments.”
On the pedagogical side, the course has encouraged open discussion and teamwork among students. Every student had the chance to give a short presentation in class, thereby demonstrating their understanding of the assigned course materials. Through the combination of individual student presentation, teacher-guided discussion and teamwork, students have learned to articulate their ideas and communicate with other participants of the course.
The Helsinki Summer School has also arranged a series of social activities to give participants the opportunity to get to know each other and to explore the capital area of Finland during their spare time. Such activities included, for instance, evening on an island, wildlife and sauna trip to the scenic Nuuksio national park, and a fun open air event that gave participants a taste of the Finnish culture.
We believe that the students of this course will continue to use the knowledge and skills they have obtained at the Helsinki Summer School. We look forward to having the next Helsinki Summer School course on Chinese law in the near future. The Helsinki Summer School 2018 will be arranged 7.8.-23.8.2018.