On October 19, 2024, the Inaugural Meeting of the Maritime Law Professional Committee of the China Institute of Navigation and the 2024 Academic Seminar were successfully held at Shanghai Maritime University. Leaders such as Li Shixin, Vice President of the China Institute of Navigation, Lu Liming, Director of the Policies and Regulations Division of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, Li Xuelian, Director of the Regulations Division of the Water Transport Department of the Ministry of Transport, Song Baoru, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Maritime University (the supporting unit of the branch), and Chu Beiping, President of Shanghai Maritime University, attended the meeting. Over 100 representatives from institutions including the Academy for Sciences of Transport, the Water Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, the Changjiang Navigation Authority of the Ministry of Transport, China Classification Society, China Shipowners' Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, China Shipping Association, China Polar Research Center, China Maritime Arbitration Commission, Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau, Shanghai Maritime Court, Nanjing Maritime Court, Wuhan Maritime Court, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Jilin University, Nankai University, Hainan University, Fuzhou University, Southwest University, Dalian Maritime University, and Wuhan University of Technology participated in the event.
Li Shixin stated that the holding of the Inaugural Meeting of the Professional Committee at Shanghai Maritime University demonstrates the university's unique advantages in the field of maritime and shipping. This marks the addition of a new academic exchange and professional collaboration platform in the area of maritime law by the China Institute of Navigation. It is another achievement in the institute's efforts to encourage the establishment of specialized, precise, and distinctive branches within the field of navigation. He emphasized that the Professional Committee should accurately grasp its responsibilities and missions, closely focus on national development strategies, adhere to the principle of openness for prosperity, and strive to build a service platform and development model featuring collaborative innovation, cooperation, and sharing. The committee should actively promote the modernization of the institute's governance system and capabilities, further expand and enhance the institute’s ability to serve the industry and decision-making, assist the institute in deeply participating in international maritime governance, and enhance China's competitive advantages in navigation.
In his speech, Song Baoru, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Maritime University, expressed his gratitude to the China Institute of Navigation for its trust and support in selecting Shanghai Maritime University as the supporting unit for the establishment of the first Maritime Law Professional Committee of the China Institute of Navigation. He noted that in recent years, the university has been at the forefront of disciplines, actively improving research on maritime law by establishing high-end think tanks such as the National High-End Shipping Service Research Institute, the National Security Research Institute, and the National Marine Research Institute. These efforts have contributed to enhancing the soft power of Shanghai as an international shipping center and China's voice and influence in the field of international dispute resolution related to maritime and shipping affairs. Taking the establishment of the Maritime Law Professional Committee as an opportunity, the university will lead member units to jointly contribute wisdom to building Shanghai's high-end shipping service brand and promote the construction of a shipping legal community in Shanghai and even the whole country. He hopes to work with the institute to achieve new leaps and breakthroughs in the field of maritime legal services and research.
At the conference, Chu Beiping, President of Shanghai Maritime University, introduced the preparation process for the Maritime Law Committee. He stated that Shanghai is accelerating the innovation of the maritime arbitration system and actively building a legal ecosystem for the shipping industry. Shanghai Maritime University plays a pivotal role in the construction of maritime legal community and ecosystem. The Committee will continue to gather the wisdom of the maritime legal community, strive to conduct maritime legal research , and support the practice of maritime law. It will focus particularly on conducting diverse thematic studies and providing legal services related to international maritime legislation trends, the improvement of China's maritime laws and regulations, and the prevention of and response to the maritime legal risks of shipping. The committee aims to establish a sustainable and influential platform for exchange and an academic brand.
The conference elected 123 members for the first Maritime Law Committee. Chu Beiping, President of Shanghai Maritime University, was elected as the director. Fifteen experts were elected as deputy directors, including Lu Liming, Director of the Policy and Regulation Division of China Maritime Safety Administration ; Li Xuelian, Director of the Legal Division of the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport; Fu Dongdong, Director of the Salvage Management Division of the Rescue and Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport; Xin Hai, Chief Judge of the Maritime Tribunal of the Shanghai Maritime Court; and Xu Yong, Director of the Arbitration Division of the Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau. Professors Si Yuzhuo, former President of Dalian Maritime University; Yu Shicheng, former Party Secretary and President of Shanghai Maritime University; and Professors Yin Dongnian and Huang Shungang of Shanghai Maritime University were appointed as senior honorary experts. The conference reviewed and approved the Measures for the Work of Maritime Law Committee of China Institute of Navigation and the 2025 Work Plan for the Maritime Law Committee the China Institute of Navigation.
Following the conference, the Maritime Law Committee of China Institute of Navigation held the first meeting of the first director committee and reviewed and approved Organization and Day-to-Day Work Plan of the Maritime Law Committee Secretariat of China Institute of Navigation.
At the 2024 Academic Symposium, Chu Beiping, President of Shanghai Maritime University, Li Xuelian, Director of the Legal Division of the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, Lu Liming, Director of the Policy and Regulation Division of China Maritime Safety Administration, Xin Hai, Chief Judge of the Maritime Tribunal of the Shanghai Maritime Court, and Xu Yong delivered keynote speeches on the following topics:Recent Developments and Current Tasks in the Revision of the Maritime Code, Waterway Regulations and the Revision of the International Shipping Ordinance, Analysis of the Legal System for the Maritime System to Safeguard Maritime Rights and Interests, China’s Maritime Judiciary Advancing International Rule Improvements in the New Era, and Institutional Innovations in Shanghai's International Maritime Ad Hoc Arbitration.
Gu Qi, General Manager of the Legal and Risk Management Department of COSCO Shipping Lines Co., Ltd.; Zhai Juan, General Manager of the Legal Compliance and Risk Management Department of China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd.; Zhang Shouguo, Executive Vice President of the China Shipowners’ Association; Gong Xiqian, Deputy General Manager of the China P&I Club; and He Ci, Senior Engineer at the Shanghai Rules Research Institute of China Classification Society and Technical Officer of the Asian Classification Societies, respectively delivered keynote speeches on Legal Responses and Corporate Practices in Shipping Digitalization, Legal Issues in Green and Low-carbon Shipping, China’s Response to the “301 Investigation” in Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding , Exploration of Capacity Building for China’s Shipping Insurance Institutions under International Situations like the Red Sea Crisis, and Progress and Challenges in International Maritime Legislation for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). The conference also released the General Research Topic Guide for the Maritime Law Specialized Committee in 2025 and the book Transport Law in China authored by Professor Hu Zhengliang.
The Maritime Law Research Professional Committee of the China Institute of Navigation (CIN), a branch of CIN, was established in 1984. Upon review and approval at the second plenary session of the ninth council, the Committee was renamed the Maritime Law Professional Committee (MLPC) in 2020. As a vice chairman unit of the CIN, Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) is dedicated to cutting-edge legal research, boasts profound disciplinary foundations and has developed a comprehensive system for maritime law research and talent cultivation, which has been widely recognized by the CIN and its member units.
Figure 1: Speech by Li Shixin, Vice President of CIN
Figure 2: Speech by Song Baoru, Secretary of the Party Committee
Figure 3: Election of Chu Beiping as Chairman of MLPC and His Speech
Figure 4: Yan Dalong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection, Presiding Over the Election
Figure 5: Expert Commentary by Professor Yu Shicheng, Former Party Secretary and President of SMU
Figure 6: Lu Liming, Director of the Policies and Regulations Division of the Maritime Safety Administration of China, Presiding Over the First Meeting of the Committee
Figure 8: Ceremony for Appointment of Senior Honorary Experts
Figure 9: Election of the First Committee Members of MLPC
Figure 10: First Meeting of the Chairman Committee of MLPC
Figure 11: First Phase of Academic Seminar
Figure 12: Xue Yidong, President of the China Maritime Pilots Association and Director of the Shanghai Maritime Pilots Association, Presiding Over the Release of the “2025 Guide to General Research Topics of MLPC”
Figure 13: Book Launch by Professor Hu Zhengliang of the Law School
Figure 14: Second Phase of Academic Seminar
Figure 15: Conference Venue
Figure 16: Group Photo