Peking University School of Transnational Law

🌏 Applications Open: 2026 Guangdong International Intellectual Property Talent Program

Explore Intellectual Property, Innovation & Legal Culture in the Greater Bay Area of China!

Are you passionate about intellectual property, innovation, technology, and global legal development?

The 2026 Guangdong International Intellectual Property Talent Program is now open for applications!

Hosted by the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration) and organized by Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School and Peking University School of Transnational Law (International Intellectual Property Academy), this eight-day program invites young IP professionals and scholars from around the world to explore the evolving landscape of intellectual property in China and beyond.

📍 Location: Shenzhen & Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
📅 Program Dates: October 18–25, 2026
🗣 Language: English
👥 Participants: 40 outstanding young IP talents worldwide

Why Join?

✨ Discover China’s IP Ecosystem

Learn about China’s IP judicial protection and enforcement practices
Explore global IP governance and emerging trends

✨ Engage with Frontier IP Issues

Discuss cutting-edge topics including:
AIGC and copyright challenges in the digital era
Short-video copyright protection
IP strategies for technological innovation

✨ Experience the Greater Bay Area’s Innovation Power

Visit leading technology companies, IP courts, research institutions, and IP service organizations
Gain first-hand insights into how innovation and IP protection drive regional development

✨ Connect Culture & Intellectual Property

Explore the protection and commercialization of traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage
Participate in hands-on cultural experiences in historic districts such as Yongqingfang

✨ Develop Your Own IP Research Project
Each participant will complete a short research paper on a selected IP topic from a country/region-specific perspective. Outstanding papers will be recognized and compiled into a policy-oriented publication.

Who Should Apply?

Applications are welcome from around the world, including but not limited to:

🌍 IP professionals and corporate IP managers
⚖️ Lawyers and IP agents
🎓 University faculty members and students in IP-related fields
🏛 IP officials and representatives of industry associations

Program Benefits

✅ No tuition fee
✅ Accommodation, meals, local transportation, and insurance during the program provided by the organizer
✅ Certificate of Completion for participants who complete the program requirements
✅ Opportunities to build connections with international IP talents and experts

(Participants are responsible for international transportation to Guangdong and visa fees.)

Application Details

📌 Application Period: July 20 – August 30, 2026

📄 Required Materials:

Passport or valid identification document
Motivation letter (English, maximum 300 words)
Curriculum Vitae (English)

🔗 Apply here:
https://pkustl.jsjform.com/f/TfjYe6

📧 Contact:
Ms. Xiaoya (Sylvia) Qiu
Director, International Programs Office
Peking University School of Transnational Law
Email: [email protected]

About the Organizer

Located in Shenzhen, the innovation hub of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Peking University School of Transnational Law (International Intellectual Property Academy) is dedicated to cultivating globally minded legal professionals.

As the first law school in China offering both a Common Law J.D. program and a China Law Juris Master (J.M.) program, the School has developed a strong international network of legal talents and provides a highly globalized learning environment with extensive expertise in intellectual property law.

🌐 We look forward to welcoming young IP talents from around the world to Guangdong in 2026!

Congratulations to the PKU STL Class of 2026!
147 JD/JM + 11 LL.M. from 11 nations.
Trained in common law, Chinese law, and cross-cultural advocacy—now ready for the global stage.
Go make your mark. ⚖️🌍

On May 16, PKU STL’s 11th Public Interest Law Auction “Stars of Torch Light” came to a wonderful end.

Eleven years of persistence in public welfare and legal kindness. With 84 donated lots and full support from teachers, alumni and partners, all proceeds will fund student public interest practice and legal service programs.

A night of youth, warmth and justice. Looking forward to another brilliant year ahead!

🎓 A day to remember: Peking University School of Transnational Law Graduation 2026

On Saturday, May 16, we celebrated the Class of 2026 – a group of bright, resilient, and inspiring future legal professionals.

We’re pleased to share a recent publication from the STL community.

A Special Issue on Comparative AI Law, published by the German Law Journal (Cambridge University Press), is now available online. The volume grew out of a conference hosted at Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) in September 2024, bringing together scholars from Europe, China, and the United States.

The collection engages with a range of timely questions on artificial intelligence, including platform governance, generative search, dynamic pricing, and access to justice.
We’re glad to see contributions from STL faculty as part of this broader international conversation.

🔗 Read the full issue: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/german-law-journal/issue/55BE2C2DF907B460098406C13AA38C0D

German Law Journal: Volume 26 - Comparative AI Law: Regulating the Future | Cambridge Core Cambridge Core - German Law Journal - Volume 26 - Comparative AI Law: Regulating the Future

A Successful 8th Law Fair at Peking University STL
On April 11–12, 2026, Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) held its signature career event, bringing together 21 leading international and domestic law firms, corporations, and financial institutions.

On April 11, over a hundred students traveled to Shenzhen for Peking University STL’s Open House — a full day of discovery, debate, and genuine connection.

🌏 From Transit to Transformation: A Vietnamese Legal Assistant's Journey to China

The story does not begin in a classroom.
It begins in transit — airports, high-speed trains, taxis racing between meetings.
For Chu Anh Tài (Nils), then a legal assistant for a Vietnamese enterprise dealing directly with Chinese clients across multiple provinces — Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen, Shanghai, Hangzhou — China was a blur of movement. Each trip lasted barely a day. Most of the time was spent in motion.
But something stayed with him.
“I have to be honest — I loved the food,” he says, laughing. “I always looked forward to the meals.”
Between meetings, he discovered something unexpected: each city tasted different. Different flavors. Different cooking styles. Different rhythms of life.
Those brief meals planted a quiet question: What would it be like to slow down and truly experience China?
Later, clients have inspired him with the idea of pursuing further studies in China, a country known for its highly competitive and rigorous education system. the idea resurfaced. This time, it felt less like curiosity and more like direction.
Studying in China, he realized, would not only expand his credentials — it would allow him to understand a country that was already shaping his professional future.

A City of Contrasts
When he arrived in Shenzhen, the contrasts were immediate.
On campus, delivery drones buzzed overhead — not as spectacle, but as infrastructure. What once seemed futuristic had become ordinary.
“At first I thought, ‘What do I do here?’” he recalls. “Then you realize — this is just normal life. And that’s fascinating.”
Yet beyond the technology, Shenzhen offered something else: stillness.
Unlike the crowded beaches he had visited elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Shenzhen’s long coastline offered space. Quiet. Perspective.
“You can sit there all day,” he says. “Order a drink. Watch the water. Just think.”
The city’s rhythm — fast innovation, quiet coastline — mirrored his own transition from visitor to resident.

Finding His Footing
Adapting was easier than he expected.
With translation functions integrated into WeChat and Alipay, daily life — transport, dining, payments — became seamless.
“You don’t even need to speak Chinese to live comfortably,” he says. “The apps make everything accessible.”
But being Vietnamese brought unexpected cultural moments. Because of his Asian features, restaurant staff often assumed he was local — until he couldn’t respond in Chinese.
“Then my Australian friend would step in,” he laughs. “It was always confusing for them.”
Yet these moments were rarely uncomfortable. More often, they ended with patience and warmth.
“Take your time,” people would say.
Over time, those small gestures shaped his understanding of contemporary China: technologically advanced, but deeply human.

A Test of Resolve
If adapting to Shenzhen was smooth, getting there was not.
The degree authentication process nearly derailed his plans.
“I failed five times,” he says plainly. “The sixth approval came on the last day before the deadline.”
He sent nearly sixty emails. Each reply was automated. Each step felt out of his control.
When his parents asked whether he would actually make it to China, he had no answer.
A phrase he once considered motivational wallpaper became something else entirely: Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.
It stopped being abstract.
It became survival.

Why China. Why Law. Why STL.
Nils’s decision to pursue law in China was not romantic — it was strategic.
He had worked in a company where 90% of clients were Chinese manufacturers and exporters. Even before that, he had drafted contracts, negotiated terms, and collaborated with Chinese partners.
One reality became clear: Vietnam and China are deeply economically intertwined, yet there are far too few lawyers who truly understand both legal systems.
That gap — between demand and expertise — defined his opportunity.
He did not just want to practice law.
He wanted to become a bridge.
When researching Peking University School of Transnational Law, he looked beyond rankings or reputation. He examined faculty profiles, international training backgrounds, professional experience, and classroom structure. Many professors had studied or practiced in U.S. law schools. Others brought experience from multiple jurisdictions.
Then he turned to STL’s YouTube channel. Student testimonials. Lecture clips. Conference recordings.
“It wasn’t just about importing knowledge,” he explains. “It was about exchanging experience.”
What convinced him most was STL’s integrated curriculum — Chinese law taught alongside American common law. A civil law graduate like himself was now immersed in precedent-based reasoning, case analysis, and comparative thinking.
“This comparative approach,” he says, “is exactly what cross-border lawyers need.”

Learning Across Systems
In class, he discovered that some of the most valuable lessons came not from textbooks, but from discussion.
Chinese students analyzing American doctrine.
Latin American classmates comparing regulatory models.
European peers referencing treaty frameworks.
Southeast Asian perspectives revealing legal gaps.
One energy law discussion stood out. Different regions approached similar regulatory challenges through entirely different legal structures. Larger economies often shaped global norms. Smaller jurisdictions adapted.
He realized they were not just studying law.
They were studying power, structure, and global dynamics.
Even listening, he says, was transformative.
“You see how the same issue looks completely different depending on where you stand.”
For someone planning a cross-border career, this environment was not theoretical — it was preparation.

From Adaptation to Contribution
Now settled, Nils has shifted from adjustment to action.
He is helping organize the ALSA International Mediation Competition 2026 as a Co-Chair, drawing on his years of volunteer leadership experience in Vietnam, where he worked with nearly a thousand students.
“I love working with the younger generation,” he says. “Not to give them answers — but to help them see what they’re capable of.”
That philosophy mirrors his own journey.
STL is no longer a destination.
It is a platform.

A Broader Horizon
Looking back at his earlier internships in Vietnamese courts, procuratorates, and non-profits, he now sees the profession differently.
Vietnam, like China, follows a civil law tradition. At STL, he is immersed in common law reasoning — where precedent shapes doctrine and judicial interpretation plays a more expansive role.
This shift has sharpened his research.
He is currently examining Direct Power Purchase Agreements (DPPAs), comparing U.S. and EU and Vietnamese lagal frameworks. The analytical tools he has developed — structured argumentation, comparative analysis, critical reasoning — allow him to approach complex regulatory questions with confidence.
STL has expanded not only his knowledge, but his imagination of what legal work can be: lawyer, arbitrator, mediator, scholar.

Life Beyond the Classroom
Shenzhen itself has become part of his education.
The city’s digital efficiency, infrastructure, and “can-do” spirit left a deep impression. Paying utility bills from his dorm room felt easier than similar processes he had experienced in parts of Europe.
Classes begin at 9 a.m. — a welcome change from 6:45 a.m. starts back home.
And geographically, Shenzhen is close to Vietnam. That proximity offers both practicality and emotional reassurance.
“It makes everything feel connected,” he says.

Looking Ahead
After graduation, Nils plans to return to Vietnam and pursue a dual path.
In academia, he hopes to begin as a lecturer and eventually earn a Ph.D. In practice, he is drawn to arbitration and mediation — emerging fields with growing regional demand across ASEAN.
His transnational legal training, he believes, will be his distinctive strength.
“This LL.M. is not the end goal,” he says. “It’s the first step.”

A Journey Still Unfolding
From rushed business trips to reflective beach days.
From automated rejection emails to acceptance on the final deadline.
From observer to bridge-builder.
Nils came to China curious.
He leaves not only with a degree, but with a broader horizon — and a clearer sense of who he is becoming.
For lawyers seeking not just a qualification, but perspective — not just knowledge, but transformation — his journey offers a glimpse of what is possible.

STL Professor Gregory Gordon recently returned to the University of North Dakota School of Law to deliver a lecture on the life and work of Ben Ferencz, chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen Trial — one of the tribunals within the historic Nuremberg Trials.
In his lecture, Professor Gordon reflected on Ferencz’s remarkable legal career, his meticulous documentation of crimes, and his enduring commitment to justice for victims. Ferencz’s work helped establish important foundations for modern international criminal law — foundations that continue to resonate today.

Another proud moment for STL!
Kevin C. H. Yuk (LL.M.) recently shared that his class paper, “Comparison of Legal Framework for Divorce in 2024: England and Wales, and Mainland China” (June 2024), which he uploaded to SSRN and ResearchGate, has been cited by a published paper written by members of the Lahore High Court in Pakistan.
It is always exciting to see classroom research travel beyond the seminar room and contribute to real-world legal discussions across jurisdictions.
Congratulations to Kevin on this meaningful milestone!