The Conference went very well. Ford Foundation support was crucial. Professor Wang Tie Ya was able to come and to contribute substantially to the program. Professor Xue Mouhong of Beijing University came to Guangzhou at the same time--though sponsored independently from the conference. (His other obligations prevented him from participating. He was also supposed to give an hour lecture on Friday evening. This occurred, but outside the auspices of the conference.) We did have another distinguished Chinese professor participate, however. Professor Liu Wen Zong of the Foreign Affairs College was able to accept our invitation at the last minute (i.e., after the final program was prepared). He gave an excellent talk and participated vigorously in the discussions.
The American professors were Jon Charney of Vanderbilt, a leading professor of the law of the sea; Robert Lutz of Southwestern, an expert on trade law and private international law; Terence Blackburn, Fulbright professor of law at the Foreign Affairs College; and me. Each of us gave two separate panel presentations. At the last minute we were disappointed that Joe Dellapenna of Villanova could not come because his mother had a heart attack.
Young law professor participants came from Beijing University, China University of Politics and Law, Sichuan University, Wuhan University, Anhui University, Shenzhen University, City University of Hong Kong, Suzhou University, Xiamen University, South Central Politics and Law Institute (Wuhan), and Zhongshan University. Graduate students and senior professors from Zhongshan University also participated.
Our goal of providing a forum for direct exchange between U.S. and Chinese law faculty members was fully met. On the first panel, Jon Charney explained how international law conferences like those sponsored by the UN create a new type of "general" international law. Chen Zhi Zhong talked about the legality of Security Council resolutions on which a permanent member abstains. I talked about the problem of how the terminate mandatory UN sanctions when a minority of Security Council members wants to continue them. This and the three subsequent sessions were each followed by numerous questions in general session, plus small groups in which every participant was encouraged to discuss the issues raised.
On the second panel on Friday afternoon, Jon Charney talked about recent developments regarding the Law of the Sea Convention. Liu Wen Zong talked about theoretical problems regarding the veto in the Security Council. Bob Lutz talked about how the new World Trade Organization will work.
We "flipped" the third and fourth panels so that we could do the teaching methods panel on Saturday morning. Wang Tie Ya talked about the need for a universal international law curriculum. Terence Blackburn talked about the value of "transactional" teaching, even in China, even in the area of public international law. I talked about the problem of defining plagiarism for both American and Chinese law students.
On the final panel on Saturday afternoon Bob Lutz and Terence Blackburn gave a coordinated presentation. Bob described remarkable recent developments in the area of law unification. Terence followed with a theoretical discussion of the value of such unification, and what forces work for or against it.
Our second goal of providing a basis for future cooperation and exchange among the participants was well met. At three dinners, two breakfasts, and two lunches, all of the panel members made efforts to meet and talk with all of the other participants. (The Friday evening party was cancelled, however, to permit for informal contact.) The small groups were "shuffled" so that every participant was in at least one small group with every other participant. A contact list of participants was prepared and distributed before the end of the conference.
Apart from one unfortunate incident in which a Chinese professor fell down some stairs and was injured, the conference was a great success. It was exactly what I had in mind, and provided a great basis for future exchange. There was none of the sonorious reading/passive audience phenomenon that often afflicts conferences.
--John Rogers, June, 1995
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