The 6th China-Africa Forum of Law School Deans Held in Uganda, Providing Rule of Law Gaurantee for High-Quality China-Africa Cooperation

Written by: Zhang Xiaohu

Edited by: Zhang Gan

Translated by: Li Tingting, Xiao Liang

Source: Law School

From November 4 to 5, the 6th China-Africa Forum of Law School Deans was held in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The forum was themed Educational Support and Rule of Law Gaurantee for the High-Quality Development of China-Africa Cooperation. Deans of law schools from 20 universities across Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and China attended the event.

Guided by the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society, the forum was organized by Makerere University and co-organized by Renmin University of China, the University of Dar es Salaam, and Xiangtan University. It was co-sponsored by the China-Africa Institute for Business and Law and the Confucius Institute at Makerere University. Zhang Lizhong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Uganda, and Henry Arinaitwe, Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, attended the forum.

During the keynote session, eight deans and scholars from China and Africa delivered speeches, including Professor Wang Jian, Vice President of the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society, former Vice President of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, and professor at Shanghai Normal University, Professor Li Shichun, Principal of Xiangtan University Law School, Xu Junke, Vice President of China Foreign Affairs University, Kisubi Eslher, Dean of the Law School at Kampala International University, Professor Long Yifei from Renmin University of China and Director of the Clinical Legal Education Committee of the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society, Winifred W. Kamau, Dean of the Law School at the University of Nairobi, Manirakiza Egide, Dean of the Law School at the University of Burundi, and Elvis Mbembe, Dean of the Law School at the University of Rwanda.

In the panel discussions, nine representatives delivered speeches, including Song Jie, Dean of the Law School at Zhejiang Gongshang University, Professor Ding Peng, Dean of the Law School at Inner Mongolia University, Professor Han Xiuli, Associate Dean of the Law School at Xiamen University, Professor Gong Hongliu, Associate Dean of the Law School at the University of International Business and Economics, He Lianhong, Associate Dean of the Law School at Central South University, Hong Yonghong, Director of China-Africa Institute for Business and Law, Kaze Armel, Associate Researcher of the China-Africa Institute for Business and Law, Yu Xuezhao, Executive Director in Kenya affairs of Yingke Law Firm, and Gao Mingdong, a Ph. D. candidate from the Law School of Xiangtan University.

At the forum, with the support of the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society, 25 law school deans and professors from China and Africa jointly signed and released the Declaration on China-Africa Legal Education Cooperation in Chinese, English, and French. Ronald, Principal of the Law School at Makerere University, and Du Huanfang, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Law School of Renmin University of China, solemnly read out the declaration on behalf of African law schools and the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society, respectively.

Participants reached broad consensus that legal education and legal exchanges are essential safeguards for Chin-Africa friendship and cooperation, and that the China-Africa Forum of Law School Deans serves as an effective platform for advancing collaboration. Through international conferences, joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and youth exchanges, both sides will work together to promote China-frica legal education cooperation and cultivate more high-quality legal professionals.

The China-Africa Forum of Law School Deans was established in 2013. The third forum was held at Xiangtan University in 2018. At this forum, Xiangtan University was designated by the China Association for Legal Education of China Law Society as the permanent Chinese co-organizer, forming a mechanism in which Chinese and African universities take turns hosting the forum in even-numbered years. In recent years, under the guidance of the association, the forum has developed distinctive features and achieved remarkable results, providing a broad platform for China-Africa legal education and talent exchange. Notably, with the efforts of universities such as Renmin University of China and Xiangtan University, the initiative to support the China-frica Forum of Law School Deans and encourage and assist Chinese and African universities in jointly establishing China-Africa legal research centers and legal talent training bases was officially included in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan (2022–2024) at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held at the end of 2021. This elevated the forum to a national-level mechanism for China-Africa legal education and exchange, making it a distinctive brand of China’s educational opening-up and international communication of the rule of law.