Xi’an Jiaotong University – School of Law, SRIICL and CIC-SREBS and Helsinki University – Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, Aleksanteri Institute, together with the New Silk Road Law Schools Alliance, organized the conference “Road to New Paradigms: Impact of China’s Silk Road Initiative in China, Central Asia and the EU” which took place in Helsinki on 9-10 May 2016.

Speakers from all over the world elaborated on public law aspects that the Silk Road Initiative touches upon, and yet remain underdeveloped, such as regulatory framework, labor governance, environment, citizenship and migration as well as dispute settlement. Another stream of participants focused more on cultural and economic models implicit and explicit in the Silk Road Initiative as well as how they impact the perception of the latter in the countries along the Belt.

Dean Shan Wenhua, Professors Hu Desheng and David Holloway, Lecturers Wang Chaoen, Du Junqiang and Guilherme Vilaca and PhD Candidate Feng Yunya all contributed with presentations on different aspects of the Silk Road Initiative.

The conference signals the deepening of the ties between XJTU and Helsinki Law Schools. Accordingly, two agreements on cooperation and exchange were signed. Furthermore, Dean Shan discussed university level cooperation with the vice rector and deans from humanities and social sciences of Helsinki University.