At 10:00 a.m. on December 5, 2024, the Faculty of Law at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) successfully hosted a law lecture titled "On Fundamental Issues of Minor Crimes" in Room R327 of Block R. The lecture was delivered by Professor Wang Shizhou, Emeritus Professor of Peking University Law School. Professor Wang previously served as Director of the Confucius Institute at the Hebrew University of Israel, authored numerous Chinese and English monographs, translations, and textbooks, published over a hundred papers in nine languages, and led multiple National Social Science Fund projects and research initiatives for the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education. He is a recipient of prestigious academic honors, including the Humboldt Research Award. The lecture was chaired by Professor Fang Quan, Dean of the MUST Faculty of Law, with Assistant Professor Man Tao and over 70 students in attendance.
Professor Wang Shizhou During the Lecture
Dean Fang Quan Presenting a Souvenir to Professor Wang Shizhou (Right)
The event began with Dean Fang Quan presenting a commemorative gift to Professor Wang Shizhou on behalf of the Faculty. In his lecture, Professor Wang started by discussing the significance and role of minor crimes, explaining their justification at both macro and micro levels. He further elaborated on the legal and academic definitions of minor crimes, as well as their external and internal frameworks. Finally, Professor Wang emphasized that modern criminal law has seen minor crimes evolve into a multi-tiered, multi-domain, and multi-category system. He proposed that China’s development of a minor crime framework should uphold the principle of legality, identify key behaviors requiring enhanced prevention, clarify types of minor penalties, and prudently calibrate the severity of punishments.
During the Q&A session, Professor Wang engaged in in-depth discussions with faculty and students on the lecture’s themes. He encouraged students to actively explore practical issues in criminal law and uphold the spirit of academic critique, offering valuable insights to all attendees. Dean Fang Quan concluded the lecture by summarizing the key points and expressing heartfelt gratitude and admiration for Professor Wang’s presentation, which exemplified the scholarly excellence of veteran criminal law scholars.
Q&A Session
