A/Prof Diego Mejía-Lemos LLM PhD, Distinguished Research Associate Professor within XJTU's Young Talent Support Plan (YSTP), was selected to visit the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) campus in Madrid, Spain, from late July to mid-October 2024 in the capacity of Visiting Research Professor. The Visiting Research Professorship took place within the framework of research projects and other teaching initiatives led by Prof Maria Pilar Cousido González, on one hand, and A/Prof Mejía-Lemos's research project, funded by the YSTP grant, on the other hand.First, the Visiting Research Professorship focused on the potential for using artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of large language models (LLMs) for the following three purposes: (a) the ascertainment of customary international law, generally (as discussed in the module I have taught in the Expert Title on AI organized by Prof Cousido); (b) other issues concerning the ascertainment of customary international law, notably in connection with secondary rules of international law of customary nature; and (c) other aspects of the interactions between general and particular regimes of international law, insofar as customary law, as ascertainable by LLMs, is concerned.
Secondly, as a result of research conducted during the Visiting Research Professorship, an essay reviewing a book on general principles of law and discussing the impact of AI on the ascertainment of that formal source, among other issues, was commissioned by and accepted for publication in theEuropean Journal of International Law(EJIL). The EJIL is indexed by the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and currently ranked globally as a SSCI Quartile 1 (Q1) academic journal. The essay has appeared inEJIL's volume 35, issue 3, and its online version is available for free downloading at:https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article/35/3/777/7745476
Other publications which were concluded and released for publication include the following two book chapters:
‘The Customary Status of the Articles on Responsibility of International Organizations: a Critical Assessment of its Scholarly Treatment,’ in Antal Berkes, Richard Collins and Rossana Deplano (eds),Reassessing the Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations: from Theory to Practice(Edward Elgar, 2024) 35-62
‘International Obligations on Foreign Investment in the Energy Sector: at the Interstices of General International Law, the Energy Charter Treaty, and European Union Regimes,’ in Rafael Leal-Arcas (ed),Research Handbook on EU Energy Law and Policy(2nd ed, Edward Elgar, 2024) 570-585 (co-authored with Xiaoning Zhong and Ojaswini Gupta)
Thirdly, A/Prof Mejía-Lemos proactively engaged in various international cooperation efforts with major Spanish universities during his Visiting Research Professorship, notably for the purposes of establishing or otherwise renewing existing inter-University cooperation links with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (National Distance Education University or 'UNED', for its Spanish acronym).
UCM is one of Spain's most prestigious and oldest universities. Indeed, while, in its current avatar, it was formally established in 1836, UCM dates back to 1293, when Universitas Complutensis was founded, thus making it one of the world's oldest universities currently in operation. Like XJTU, it is a public research university offering degrees across all majors and it is highly ranked in various international rankings. In particular, according to the QS World University Ranking, the UCM is ranked 164th worldwide, 58th in Europe and 1st in Spain.
XJTU and UCM have an existing inter-University cooperation relationship. Indeed, a framework cooperation agreement had been concluded between XJTU and UCM in 1991 (1991 Agreement). However, the 1991 Agreement is no longer in force. Now, since UCM is very keen on cooperating with XJTU, UCM has proposed to renew the existing cooperation relationship and that prospect was discussed by A/Prof Mejía-Lemos in the meetings held during his Visiting Research Professorship with the following UCM leaders:
Prof José A. Ruiz San Román, Vice-Dean for International Relations and Cooperation
Prof Javier García Roca, Director of the Constitutional Law Department (to which I am directly attached as visiting research professor) and of UCM's Parliamentary Law Institute
University level:
Prof María del Rosario Cristóbal Roncero, UCM Vice-President for International Relations and Cooperation (and administrative staff supporting her and having the logistical expertise).
Prof Joaquín Goyache Goñi, UCM President
UNED is Spain's largest distance learning and research university and the only public university directly administered by the Spanish government. Being focused on distance learning, UNED relies on a wide network of international centres in which services are provided to students not residing in Spain, spanning Europe and the Americas. Notwithstanding its distance learning focus, UNED also has a strong research reputation. Indeed, UNED's School of Law's faculty consists of several researchers, including the former Spanish member of the United Nations' International Law Commission, Concepción Escobar Hernández, who leads the School's international law department. A/Prof Mejía-Lemos held a meeting with Prof Fernando Val, UNED's Adjunct Vice President for international cooperation.
The above efforts by A/Prof Mejía-Lemos paved the way for the conclusion of agreements between XJTU and UCM and UNED, respectively, and their signature by XJTU's President, during a visit he and a delegation of XJTU undertook in early December 2024.
