The Chinese-German Institute for Law (中德法学院(Zhongde Faxueyuan)) at the Chinese University for Politics and Law in Beijing (中国政法大学(Zhongguo Zhengfa Daxue), CUPL) is a joint institute with the 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.
Directors of the CDIR are Prof. Dr. Yuanshi Bu, representing the German side and Prof. Dr. Xie Libin, representing the Chinese side. The Chinese vice director is Dr. Huang He, the German vice director is Dr. Clemens Richter.
The institute offers an LL.M-programme with the degree "Master in Comparative Law" and a PhD-programme in the area of comparative law.
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 familarise German jurists with the Chinese legal system. The Chinese and the German legal area is benefiting both in scientifical as well as in economic and cultural way thereof.
Most of the lecturers have worked or studied abroad, especially in Germany, or were guest professors at universities abroad. Almost all of them speak German and have a close commitment to Germany. Moreover, the German vice director teaches at the institute. 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-lectuerer as well as financial assistance to the German language education are provided.
