The 2^nd Edition of the Advanced Course offered by The Hague Academy of International Law and the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL), with the support of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, has successfully concluded. The event has drawn a diverse group of participants, including diplomats, judges, scholars, and legal counsel from Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The 5-day Course began with welcome remarks by Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin, Secretary-General of The Hague Academy of International Law, and Mr Paul Lam Ting-Kwok SBS SC JP, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, focusing on ‘Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters.’ Eminent speakers include Ms Teresa Cheng GBM GBS SC JP (Co-Chairman of AAIL), Professor Matthias Weller (University of Bonn), Judge Dr Shen Hongyu (Chief Judge of the 4^th Division of the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC), Professor Giuditta Cordero-Moss (University of Oslo), and Professor Pietro Franzina (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore-Milano), who explored a broad spectrum of topics related to the critical aspect of recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, including the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention, public policy, the Chinese perspective on foreign-related legal matters, jurisdiction filters on recognition and enforcement of judgments in comparative view, and the arrangements of recognition and enforcement of judgments between China mainland and the Hong Kong SAR. Professor Matthias Lehmann (University of Vienna) also gave two special lectures on cryptocurrency and international law.

Participants expressed high regard for the lecturers, who are top scholars and practitioners in international law, for providing them with an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of transnational recognition and enforcement of judgments. They also valued the cross-jurisdictional exchanges, which opened up new opportunities for co-operation. Lecturers noted that questions raised by students from different jurisdictions prompted them to think more deeply about the relevant issues and pushed them to resolve more practical problems.