The visit of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces in the Northeast of China by a delegation of ten judges from Hamburg established a new partnership in the context of the Sino-German exchange for judges program. After an official reception by the vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Liu Guixiang, and an expert talk about labor law related questions on June 19th 2016, the delegation continued its journey to Ha’erbin (Heilongjiang province). At the local Higher People’s Court questions concerning the court organisation and allocation of responsibilities were extensively discussed during a workshop. Subsequently, the Hamburg delegation attended a criminal trial before the Intermediate People’s Court of Ha’erbin. The following day, the delegation was given the opportunity of visiting a prison in Ha’erbin.
In Jilin province, the professional focus first was on the criminal proceedings; these were discussed during a workshop at the High People’s Court on Changchun, attended by numerous Chinese judges and university professors. In Changchun the German delegation visited the local university‘s law faculty before continuing its journey to the foreign court in Changbaishan. There, an extensive discussion about family law and its proceedings in both countries took place. The delegation trip found its conclusion in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province. During a workshop at the local High People’s Court the participants discussed questions concerning dispute settlement in labor law. On June 29th 2016, the delegation returned to Hamburg.