On April 27th and 28th 2016, the Sino-German Legal Cooperation programme and the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China jointly hosted a symposium on international legal assistance in civil matters. During the event, German experts from the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, legal scholars and judges spoke about both the law currently in force in Germany and about ideas for future reform. Participants from the Chinese side included representatives from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, legal scholars, judges of the Supreme People’s Court and lawyers. In the second half of the year the cooperation is intended to be deepened through a study trip to Germany.