7.26.2007
New friends in China
Some people make friends everywhere.As I've blogged, globally-admired space law Professor Joanne Gabrynowicz received a cool invitation to speak at the International Forum on Air and Space Law, June 24-27, 2007 in Beijing, China. This was the inaugural event for the newly founded Institute of Air and Space Law at the renowned China University of Political Science and Law (中国政法大学) (CUPL) (if you prefer, here's the CUPL's site, in Chinese).
Joanne, who as we all know is director of the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, happily obliged her gracious Chinese hosts. (In fact, she rarely says no to this type of invitation. And she gets lots of 'em.)
CUPL asked the professor to make three presentations: a welcoming address on behalf of the invited western scholars; a presentation on aerospace law education at the University of Mississippi School of Law; and a talk on one of her extra special specialties, U.S. federal remote sensing law.
All presentations were translated simultaneously from English to Chinese. Neat. (My only regret, other than that I didn't get to go, was that forum proceedings are only published in Chinese.)
More details from Joanne, via our recent e-mail chat: The forum chair was Mr. Xuan Zengyi, director of the Institute and deputy dean of the Faculty of International Law. Other speakers included: Prof. Stephen Hobe from the Cologne Institute of Air & Space Law; Robert Luke, Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the United States Embassy in Beijing on behalf of the United States Department of Transportation; Ma Zheng, Deputy Director of Policy and Law Department of China Civil Aviation Administration Bureau, as well as a number of faculty members from CUPL. Joanne said "the forum was well attended by students."
Joanne even met a CUPL international law professor who studied in Mississippi at her university for a year (way back in the 80's) with space law guru the late Professor Stephen Gorove. Yes, it's a small space law world.
All round, a super event. No doubt many more like it will follow. For now, congratulations to CUPL on the new Institute of Air and Space Law. It's a whole new space age for China and everyone, and the law will do its best to keep up (with help of course, from the jet-lagged professor, and all her friends).
和平和爱从美国人到瓷 ;)
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IMAGE: Thanks to whomever took this photo. And yes, that's Joanne in the front row.
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Update: On a semi-related note . . . alas, the prized photo of the professor wearing an abaya when she spoke in Saudi Arabia a few years ago remains unavailable on the Internet. But I'm working on it.
