During July 2-13, 2018, the Summer International Advanced Seminar on "The Law and Practice of the Law of the Sea" was held at Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University by the Polar and Deep Sea Development Strategy Research Centre of SJTU and the National Ocean Strategy and Rights Research Base. Nearly 30 participants came to attend the seminar from home and abroad. Some of them were from foreign countries, such as Canada, UK, Ghana, Pakistan, Bolivia, Kenya and Venezuela, while others were from domestic universities, such as China University of Political Science and Law, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Wuhan University, Diplomatic Academy, East China University of Political Science and Law, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. The seminar drew wide support from a variety of sea-related administrative departments and research institutions, such as the International Seabed Authority, China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, the Second Ocean Research Institute of the State Oceanic Administration and the Underwater Engineering Research Institute of SJTU.

On June 1, the participants completed the registration on time and moved into the graduate apartment. In the evening, the host prepared a welcome cold dinner so that the participants could get acquainted with each other before the seminar. Prof. Xue Guifang, Distinguished Professor of KoGuan School of Law and Director of the Polar and Deep Sea Development Strategy Research Centre, welcomed the students at the beginning of the dinner. After that, every students introduced their schools, majors and research directions, and communicate with each other.

At 9:00 am on July 2, on behalf of the Polar and Deep Sea Development Strategy Research Centre, Xue Guifang expressed warm welcome to the participants and sincere gratitude to Dr. Manfred Reinke (the former Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty) and Liu Feng (the Secretary-General of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association) for their arrival at the opening ceremony of the seminar. She hoped that students listened carefully to the lectures given by marine experts invited, thought about the theory and practice of the law of the sea, and were able to communicated with experts on relevant topics.

In order to enrich the content of the course and facilitate understanding, the course combined classroom teaching with after class visit. The former was mainly about inviting senior experts and scholars in the relevant fields to give a lecture about the basic theories and new frontiers. The latter was about visiting sea-related research institutions that were highly relevant to the course and had a reputation in domestic and foreign counterparts, which would help students to embody the abstract theoretical knowledge.

This summer international advanced seminar this year invited Liu Feng, professor Xue Guifang, Dr. Onur Sabri Durak from Istanbul Technical University, Dr. Reinke, professor Jin Jiancai who was the former Secretary-General of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, professor Zhuo Xiaojun who was the deputy general manager of Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Co., Ltd., and professor Tao Chunhui who was the researcher of the Second Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration to give lectures. These experts talked about a variety of topics, including the latest practices in deep sea mining in China, frontiers of the law of the sea, marine environmental protection and conservation of biological resources, Antarctic treaty regime and international governance, Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Committee and the future of Antarctica, Arctic and Marine Environment Law, the development of deep sea mining system, the deep sea resources from the scientific and legal perspective, the national practice of deep sea mining, the legal framework for deep sea mining, and the development of polymetallic sulphide mining and its equipment.

The host also organized students to visit the Shanghai Deepwater Testing Pool of SJTU, the Institute of Underwater Engineering of SJTU and the Second Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration this year. It was reported that the Shanghai Deepwater Test Pool was China's first marine deepwater test pool. The pool currently had the capability to allow marine engineering model test research with a depth of 0-4000m to be conducted, and its scale, function and equipment level are among the top two in the world. The Underwater Engineering Research Institute was one of the highest level deep-sea technology and equipment research institutions in China. The institution had independently or led the development of more than ten large-scale submersibles and underwater equipment, won three national scientific and technological progress awards and one technical invention award, and set many records for the development of domestic underwater equipment. The Second Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration was a comprehensive non-profit marine research institution with complete disciplines, strong scientific and technological strength, and advanced equipment. It had the only national key laboratory (the national key focus of satellite marine environmental dynamics) and three key laboratories of the State Oceanic Administration. It also established the Zhejiang Academy of Marine Sciences with Zhejiang Province. After the visit, the participants were shocked by the strong scientific research strength, advanced scientific research equipment and rich scientific research results of these sea-related research institutes in China. The participants said that the visits not only helped to understand the subject knowledge of the marine humanities and social sciences, but also stimulated their enthusiasm and interest in marine law and policy research. 

On the morning of July 13, each student gave their final report, based on the subject of the course and their research directions.

In the closing ceremony, Xue Guifang highly praised students’ outstanding performance, and expressed sincere gratitude to the hard work of the teachers and the strong support from the relevant institutions. Finally, on behalf of the organizer, she presented a certificate of completion for each student, a publication of the Journal of Marine Law Research, and samples of deep-sea minerals.

This summer international senior seminar aimed to provide a platform where students could have inter-school learning exchange experiences, share high-quality educational resources, and cultivate outstanding marine professionals. Students were deeply impressed by the arrangement and organization of the host. They said that they had broadened their academic horizons, met many teachers and friends, and acquired professional knowledge through the summer school. in a word, this summer international senior seminar was successfully completed with the joint efforts and cooperation of teachers and students.