Professor John Smagula, who teaches in Temple’s China Rule of Law Program and serves as Director of Asian Programs, met with China Vice Premier Ma Kai during the annual Conference on International Exchange of Professionals, hosted by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. During the visit, Professor Smagula briefed Premier Ma on the law school’s legal education programs in China and affirmed Temple’s commitment to working with the Chinese government to educate government officials and legal professionals.
The Rule of Law program was also the subject of discussion at a later meeting between Dr. Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, and Dr. Hai-Lung Dai, Temple University’s Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. Also in attendance were Wang Zhenmin, Dean of Tsinghua University School of Law, Wang Xun, Director of the Department of Chemistry, Xiang Botao, Director of Tsinghua University’s Center for Public Policy, and Professor John Smagula.
Through this program, both universities have cultivated a talent-pool of 1,281 Chinese legal scholars who are familiar with the American legal system. President Qiu Yong indicated that he placed great importance upon the collaboration between Tsinghua University and Temple University’s Rule of Law Program in China, and expressed his hope that the future would bring many more opportunities for cooperation and growth for the sake of making ever-greater contributions to the transformation of China’s legal system.
Photo (from left): Yin Weimin, Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security, Vice Premier Ma Kai; Hu Chunhua, Party Secretary for Guangdong Province; John Smagula, Director of Asian Programs and Associate Professor, China Rule-of-Law Program