Global Rule-of-Law: Intl. legal experts meet in Beijing, push for deeper cooperation　

Legal scholars from more than 20 countries are in Beijing for a major conference on the rule of law hosted by the China University of Political Science and Law. Feng Yilei has more. 

The 2026 Conference on Exchange and Mutual Learning among Rule of Law Civilizations opened in Beijing on Sunday, drawing legal minds from around the world. Organizers say the goal is to build lasting bridges between different legal traditions, at a moment when global governance is facing growing challenges.

ANTONIO GAMBARO, Fellow, Italian National Academy of Lincei, Member, International Academy of Comparative Law "The rule of law in just one country is not enough. It is necessary to have larger cooperation between nations, even with different legal traditions. I think we can preserve legal traditions and have the rule of law applied all over."

Among the major outcomes: the launch of a new education alliance linking Chinese universities with their ASEAN counterparts; which along with the establishment of a new China-ASEAN School, is expected to expand academic exchanges, cultivate legal professionals and promote long-term cooperation across the region.

KONG QINGJIANG, Dean of the Academy for Foreign-related Rule of Law, China University of Political Science and Law "The launch of China-ASEAN alliance for mutual learning among legal cultures and the launch of the China-ASEAN school actually is the institutional response to global civilization initiative. This will certainly pave the way to amplify the voice of the global south, particularly China, ASEAN in the global governance landscape."

Delegates also agreed on a set of initiatives, calling for closer cooperation in international rule-making, comparative law studies, judicial practice and legal education, while expanding dialogue on emerging challenges. Participating institutions signed more than a dozen cooperation agreements.

CHRISTOPHER CAMPBELL-HOLT OBE, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Astana International Financial Centre Court and IAC "One thing I was pleased to see today was the final signing of a new arrangement for the training of AI on an AI program between CUPL and Maqsut Narikbayev University, one of the leading law schools in Kazakhstan. And what we need to do is bring everybody together, the politicians, the lawyers, the judges, the educators, and the tech developers to agree what standards should be applicable, how we manage this development together, how we can support each other with meeting each other's challenges."

Across parallel sessions and roundtables, global experts discussed issues including tackling data governance in the digital economy and cross-border enforcement against financial crime.

FENG YILEI, Beijing "Participants say they hope this kind of exchange can help shape a more balanced and inclusive approach to global governance in the years to come, pooling global legal wisdom to advance a community with a shared future for mankind. Feng Yilei, CGTN Beijing."