From the 2nd to the 9th of December 2018 the 10th Sino German Lawyers Exchange on the subject of Environmental Law took place in Nanning and Guilin in Guangxi Province. During the weeklong exchange six Chinese and seven German lawyers exchanged legal opinions in moderated workshops.
The week started with an introduction on the profession of lawyers in both countries, followed by a workshop on the role of lawyers in environmental law. During the second day, a visit was paid to the Superior People’s Court of Guangxi. Here the delegation received an introduction in the Chinese Court system and got further information on the Guangxi Chamber for Environment and Resources. A visit to a successful environmental restoration project finished the day. A lively discussion followed on the third day after the presentation of a Chinese case, when the German participants were asked to present the solution to the case from a German legal perspective. During the rest of the week presentations from both groups on the possibility of class action and participation of civil society in large scale projects, as well as Criminal and Civil legal consequences of environmental offences, were followed by discussions.
The week ended with a symposium. Several alumni and lawyers participating in an exchange on Intellectual Property Law met in Guilin and discussed the outcome of their exchange in the previous week and the possibility of class actions in public interest and by environmental action groups.
The Sino-German Lawyers Exchange is aimed not only at offering the possibility of gaining insight in a specific area of law, but also at building networks between the legal professionals of both countries to enable them to discuss common experiences and reflect on the role they play in their respective countries.