1 October 2026

The 6th Conference of German-Speaking Jurists in East Asia, themed "Digital Society and Legal Renewal," took place from September 17 to 20, 2026, at the Sino-German Institute for Law (CDIR) at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing.

Opened by Guido Genrich, Head of the Legal and Consular Section at the German Embassy in Beijing, and Prof. Dr. Hinrich Julius, Director of the CDIR, the conference addressed the legal challenges posed by digitalization—ranging from fundamental rights and privacy, digital justice and judicial responsibility, to AI, the digital economy, and labor law. Presentations covered topics such as data protection, constitutional limits on algorithmic systems, digital evidence, the regulation of personalized pricing, and electronic health records, as well as the significance of digital technologies for labourlaw, administrative law, and product liability.

A highlight was the lively and fruitful exchange among legal professionals from Germany, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Mongolia, as well as Indonesia and Thailand. The discussions were shaped both by a shared reference to German law and by the specific characteristics of each national legal system. Digitalization presents similar challenges to all legal systems, requiring responses from both national legal frameworks and, potentially, international agreements. It was a particular pleasure to host this 6th conference at the CDIR in Beijing. The CDIR is a joint project involving seven German universities and the CUPL; funded by the DAAD, it is coordinated on the German side by the University of Hamburg. With cautious anticipation, a seventh conference has already been envisaged for two years' time, with Japan as a possible venue; initial preparatory discussions to this end have already begun.