[Explanation] Zheng Ruohua, former director of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, who is now the co-chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law, is a person who "can't be idle".
Before entering the "hot kitchen" of the SAR government, she was known as the "king of public office" because of her many public positions.
Zheng Ruohua recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency, sharing her views on the establishment of the International Mediation Institute Preparatory Office in Hong Kong, and also talked about her teaching experience in the Mainland and her future focus of work.
With the strong support of the central government, the Preparatory Office of the International Mediation Institute was established in Hong Kong a few days ago.
Zheng Ruohua said that the International Mediation Institute is a good supplement to the existing international dispute settlement mechanism, providing countries or enterprises facing disputes with one more channel and method to resolve disputes.
[Concurrent] Co-Chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law Zheng Ruohua, former Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Mediation is a very important method of resolving disputes.
As for mediation, in terms of culture, China has a very long culture that uses a mediation or reconciliation method to deal with their different opinions, disputes, and so on.
The importance of international mediation is also increasing. (Our) country and other countries decided to set up a preparatory office in Hong Kong. I think it reflects the benefits of our "one country, two systems" and we can see some unique advantages of Hong Kong. .
We are more internationalized, and it is easier for us to communicate with different people. There are many talents who (resolve) international disputes (good at) international law. We hope that Hong Kong can play a certain role in making this preparatory work possible. , Negotiate it into a (relevant international) convention.
[Explanation] Two months after Zheng Ruohua resigned from the post of Secretary for Justice, the "Former Chief Executive and Politically Appointed Officials After-Office Work Advisory Committee" agreed to her appointment as the director and professor of the International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Project at Tsinghua University.
Zheng Ruohua said that she was returning to Tsinghua University.
As early as 2011, she was invited by Wang Zhenmin, the then dean of the law school of the school, to give lectures at Tsinghua University.
Due to her expertise in arbitration and mediation, and the lack of lawyers representing Chinese clients in international cases, under her suggestion, Tsinghua University opened courses to systematically train students in relevant knowledge.
During her tenure as Secretary of Justice, she was unable to give lectures separately, and when the news of her non-reelection was announced, Tsinghua University immediately invited her again, and she will officially go to Beijing to give lectures in late February this year.
[Concurrent] Co-Chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law Zheng Ruohua, former Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
(At) Tsinghua University is (taught) a special class, so when I went to teach, I was very happy and very meaningful.
I often say that I tell others the nails I have touched so that they will not touch them again.
I have been giving lectures in different universities (in the mainland) for 20 or 30 years. I have been to other universities, and I have two particularly impressive ones.
One is in a very large auditorium, there are hundreds of people below, and there may be as many as 200 people above. We talked for two days, and no one left.
I was also particularly touched by the other one. In a very cold place, Harbin or Yantai, there should be more than 200 people in the class we are talking about. There is no heating in their class. They came here on a small stool and sat for two days. They were so cold. They may not even be able to write (words) with their hands, but they still persist.
I especially like the fact that Chinese (mainland) students are serious and cherish opportunities.
[Explanation] Zheng Ruohua is a founding member and former chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law. The "Former Chief Executive and Politically Appointed Officials Work Advisory Committee" agreed in January this year to serve as the co-chairman and member of the executive committee of the academy.
Talking about the work plan, Zheng Ruohua said that she will work with her peers to make international legal development better through training and holding forums.
She has now resumed her practice as a Senior Counsel.
[Concurrent] Co-Chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law Zheng Ruohua, former Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
We hope that this year, we can invite more foreign experts and participants to come and join us in the forum for the study of international law.
I have resumed my practice, and practice is to return to work as a senior counsel, an arbitrator, a mediator, etc. I guess I am also a "restless" person, and I will go wherever I am needed.
Reporter Liu Xuanting reports from Hong Kong
Responsible editor: [Li Ji]