The Sino-German Institute of Law (CDIR) at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing (CUPL) was founded 2002 and is a joint institute organised between CUPL and seven German cooperation universities: the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg (in partcipation with the Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law), the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University Frankfurt, the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, the University of Hamburg, the University of Cologne, and since 2014 the University of Münster and the Humboldt University of Berlin.
The institute offers an LL.M-programme with the degree Master in Comparative Law and a PhD-programme in the area of comparative law for Chinese students. The institute pursues to spread solid knowledge about the German and European Law in China, to educate qualified Chinese and German legal talents and to research for and support the development of the Chinese legal system with bilateral legal cooperation and the anchoring and consolidation of German legal traditions in China. The CDIR also helps to familiarise German jurists with the Chinese legal system. The Chinese and the German legal communities are benefiting both in scientifical as well as in an economic and cultural way from this academic exchange.
All of the Chinese lecturers have worked or studied abroad, especially in Germany, or were guest professors at universities abroad. They all speak German and have a close connection with Germany. Moreover, the German deputy director teaches at the institute on a permanent basis. The teaching is complemented by guest lecturers of the German cooperation universities. The teaching and research areas of the staff at the institute involve Legal Philosophy, Legal Theory, Sociology of Law, Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Administrative law, Civil and Trade Law, Intellectual Property Law, Environmental Law, Procedural Law, European Law and International Law.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) promotes the institute as a centre of legal research with yearly 20 partial scholarships for Chinese students, studying at one of the German cooperation universities and twelve partial scholarships for German students studying at the CUPL. Furthermore, financial assistance to the German guest lecturers, partial financing of the German deputy director and a DAAD-lecturer as well as financial assistance to the German language education are provided. The Sino-German institute is well-connected with its over 700 alumni, from which there are currently over 40 active university lecturers.
Head: XIE Libin; Deputy Director: HUANG He and WU Yiyue.
