Xujun Gao - The German-Chinese "Rule of Law Dialogue": Effects and Outlook

Abstract

“Since its initiation in the year 2000, the ‘German-Chinese Rule of Law Dialogue’ aims at the establishment of a ‘rule of law-state’ in China by promoting and accompanying reforms of the judicial and legal system. Dozens of conferences have been organized within the framework of this program, and legal cooperation initiatives between the German and Chinese government have been carried out in a broad range of legal fields. Furthermore, an active cooperation between law schools of German and Chinese universities has been established. During the last years, the German criticism concerning key issues of the program has increased: mainly, China is accused of not having improved the human rights situation and of not having effectively improved the rule of law situation. This research project will evaluate the program’s effects in China and explore the reasons of its success or failure, by drawing attention on the special Chinese social and cultural background.”

Professor Dr. Xujun Gao

Curriculum Vitae

Prof. Dr. jur. Xujun Gao is Director of the German and EU Law Center at Tongji University Law School, Shanghai since 2003. Also since 2003, he holds the ThyssenKrupp AG Foundation Chair for Private Economic Law at the Chinese-German College for Postgraduate Studies (CDHK). He recently held a Humboldt research scholarship at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the University of Cambridge. Since July 2012, Prof. Dr. jur. Xujun Gao is Fellow at the Käte Hamburger Center for Advanced Study in the Humanities “Law as Culture”, where he is working on his research project “The role of German influence on the transformation of the modern Chinese legal system”. Apart from his numerous own research projects, Professor Gao has actively contributed to the cultural transfer between Germany and China by translating Thomas Raiser’s “The Sociology of Law: An introduction”.