The first session of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) Doctor of Laws Forum was successfully held on 28 November 2025 in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Zhuhai. Co-hosted by the Faculty of Law at MUST, the Shanghai Bar Association, and the Zhuhai Court of International Arbitration (ZCIA), and organized by the Lawyers’ Participation in Political and Democratic Consultations Promotion Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association, the event centered on the theme “Social Responsibility of Legal Professionals and Pathways to Practice”. It brought together legal elites and industry leaders from Shanghai, Zhuhai and Macau, including MUST Doctor of Laws and PhD in Law candidates, members of the relevant committee of the Shanghai Bar Association, and members of the Zhuhai Lawyers Association, to discuss the mission of the rule of law and explore practical pathways forward.
Group Photo of Attendees at the Forum
Associate Professor Peng Yunpeng from the Faculty of Law attended and delivered a speech. He noted that the MUST Doctor of Laws program — the first of its kind in China — breaks away from the traditional academic training model by focusing on applied legal studies and practical competence, while upholding academic rigor, professional practice and interdisciplinary development. Featuring specialized courses such as Jurisprudence, Comparative Judicial Systems, and Cross‑border Legal Topics, the program aims to cultivate high‑level, innovative and practice‑oriented talents for the rule of law sector.
Associate Professor Peng Yunpeng Delivers a Speech
The panel discussion was moderated by Wu Hai, a 2025 Doctor of Laws candidate and Deputy Director of the Lawyers’ Participation in Political and Democratic Consultations Promotion Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association. Xu Zhiming, Vice President of ZCIA, and Lu Jingbo, Director of the same committee, gave introductions to the ZCIA and the work of Shanghai lawyers in political participation and democratic consultation, respectively.
Zhang Jing, a 2025 Doctor of Laws candidate and member of the All‑China Youth Federation, along with Jin Ying, Zhuo Jing and You Yan, then delivered thematic presentations, drawing on their professional experience to unpack the meaning and practical pathways of legal professionals’ social responsibility from diverse perspectives, offering insights of both theoretical depth and practical value.
A roundtable session was moderated by Zhou Peng, a 2025 Doctor of Laws candidate and Founder & Chairman of IPRdaily. Li Xuefeng (2025 Doctor of Laws candidate and Vice President of Comba Telecom Group), Lin Chuquan (Supervisor of the Dongguan Lawyers Association), Chen Yongxing and Mai Bolin participated in in-depth discussions on the social responsibilities of legal professionals in cross‑regional rule of law coordination, community-level legal services, and the regulated development of the legal industry, further strengthening consensus among the three regions on upholding social responsibility in the legal profession.
The roundtable session
On 23 January 2026, Professor Yi Zaicheng, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Law, led more than ten Doctor of Laws and PhD in Law candidates on a study visit to the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, where a special symposium was held on cutting‑edge issues in intellectual property judicial protection in the digital era. Serving as a core component and practical extension of the 2nd MUST Doctor of Laws Forum, this visit bridged legal theory and judicial practice, allowing doctoral students to experience frontline judicial work firsthand and accumulate valuable experience for academic research and professional exploration.
Faculty and Students of MUST Faculty of Law Visit the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court
The symposium was presided over by Yuan Jun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court, with the participation of presiding judges and senior judges from key divisions including the Copyright Tribunal, the Trademark and Unfair Competition Tribunal, and the Patent Tribunal.
During the discussion, MUST doctoral students raised targeted questions based on their research interests, covering the legal nature and protection of data intellectual property, jurisdiction and adjudication standards for cross‑border IP disputes, copyright ownership of AI‑generated content, and judicial guidance for corporate IP compliance. Judges responded in detail with reference to typical cases, explaining the judicial reasoning, application of law, and solutions to practical challenges in IP disputes, providing actionable guidance for students’ future academic research from a judicial perspective.
Symposium at the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court
Following the visit, the 2nd MUST Doctor of Laws Forum, themed “Cutting‑Edge Theories and Cross‑Border Practice of Corporate Intellectual Property Governance in the Digital Era”, was held. Hosted by the MUST Faculty of Law and organized by Comba Telecom Group, the forum gathered more than 30 participants including university scholars, corporate executives, legal practitioners and MUST doctoral students. It was moderated by Lin Chuquan, a 2025 Doctor of Laws candidate.
The forum consisted of keynote speeches and a panel discussion. Li Xuefeng elaborated on the central role of intellectual property in corporate strategic planning, compliance and risk control based on experience in the telecommunications and technology industry. Liang Xinran (2024 PhD in Law candidate) analyzed pain points in data IP protection and proposed multi‑dimensional institutional optimization suggestions. Zhou Peng interpreted global trends in the IP industry and shared pathways for cultivating interdisciplinary talents. Yang Jie and Li Xinyao (2025 PhD in Law candidates), Wu Hai (2025 Doctor of Laws candidate) and others joined the panel discussion on corporate IP compliance and industry‑university‑research collaboration, forging strong industry consensus.
The forum fostered a vibrant and engaging atmosphere with in-depth exchanges throughout.
Scene of the 2nd MUST Doctor of Laws Forum
