On 5 July 2023, the “Maritime Law Forum 2023 • Academic Seminar on the 30th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Chinese Maritime Code” hosted by the China Maritime Law Association was successfully held at Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou. The theme of the forum was “Retrospect on the Past 30 Years & Prospect on the Future——Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Chinese Maritime Code”. The forum was organized by the Sun Yat-Sen University, co-organized by Sun Yat-Sen University School of Law, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), and Guangdong Marine Law Society, and supported by Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP and Guangdong Transport Law Society. Up to 400 representatives from the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Transport of the China, academia, corporates, and law firms attended the grand gathering.

Mr. Chen Xiangyong, managing director of Wang Jing & Co., and Ms. Li Lan, partner of Wang Jing & Co., together with young lawyers of the firm, Mr. Chen Jingzong, Ms. Zhang Hao, and Ms. Xu Fangru, attended the forum.

On 6 July 2023 held the grand opening of the 1st Shipping and Maritime Law Forum co-organized by the China Maritime Association and the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited at Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou. The theme of the forum was “Research on the Frontiers and Practice of Maritime Law Theories under the New Situations”.

In section II “Research on Maritime Dispute Resolution Practices” of the forum hosted by Professor Li Zhiwen from Law School of Dalian Maritime University, Mr. Chen Xiangyong, managing director of Wang Jing & Co., delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Green Shipping and Public Interest Litigation over Marine Ecological Environmental Damage” from the perspective of practice where discussions were made on several new issues arisen in theory and practice of public litigation over marine ecological environmental damage under the background of green shipping.

In addition, by celebrating the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Chinese Maritime Code, the China Maritime Law Association held the event of “Excellent Paper 2023” so as to facilitate academic activities in the field of Chinese maritime law and encourage members and scholars to make their contribution to the research of such field to promote the prosperity of the Chinese maritime law discipline.

The paper Research on the Regime of Liability Limitation of Carrier under Carriage of Passengers by Sea and its Improvements co-authored by Professor Guo Ping, senior consultant of Wang Jing & Co. and Ms. Xu Fangru (apprentice lawyer) was honoured with the Excellent Award. The research centres the focus on the regime of liability limitation of carriage of passengers by sea with an eye on the legislation status, judicial practice, and development of international conventions on such regime and provides useful strategies for the revision of the Chinese Maritime Code.