- Beijing will support qualified institutes to upgrade international law studies from a second-grade discipline to first grade
- Academic says several major diplomatic incidents – such as the South China Sea arbitration – were essentially legal issues, sparking the shift
China will upgrade the status of international law studies in its education system, signalling that Beijing aims to rely more on a legal approach to advance its interests in the global arena.
Announcing the decision on Sunday, Beijing pledged to have a contingent of prominent home-grown international law scholars by 2035.
The directive, issued by the General Office of the Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council Office, is aimed at reforming the country’s law-related education and research.
The document said Beijing supported qualified institutes to upgrade international law studies from a second-grade discipline to first grade.
It encouraged colleges and graduate schools to establish more international law programmes to help “cultivate a new generation of legal professionals who have both a global outlook and expertise in international and national law, filling the critical shortage of experts in this field”.
China’s Ministry of Education grades disciplines to indicate their strategic importance and the resources they will receive.
First-grade disciplines enjoy greater funding and resources, as well as more recognition and prestige for researchers and scholars in that field. Currently, there are about 120 first-grade disciplines in China’s college system, including law.
“This is a positive sign,” said Wang Jiangyu, a professor from the school of law at City University of Hong Kong.
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