From late April to early May, a delegation led by Professor Peng Chengxin, Dean of the KoGuan Law School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, went to Europe for international academic exchanges and institutional visits. The group successively visited Leiden Law School in the Netherlands and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg, Germany. Leveraging these two top-tier legal platforms, the delegation promoted faculty and student exchanges, academic seminars, and research collaboration, further expanding the School’s European cooperation network in international legal affairs. The delegation also included Zhang Peng, Deputy Secretary of the School’s Party Committee; Professor Hou Liyang; and Associate Professor Zhang Guobin, Assistant to the Dean.

Founded in 1575, Leiden Law School is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious law schools, ranked 18th globally in Law in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject. During this visit, Dean Peng Chengxin, on behalf of the School, successfully renewed the student exchange agreement with Leiden Law School. Professor Steven Truxal, Chair of the Internationalization Steering Committee of Leiden Law School, signed the agreement on behalf of the institution. The two sides also held in-depth discussions on joint academic conferences, scholar exchanges, and joint postgraduate training, reaching broad consensus on establishing a long-term and stable cooperation mechanism.

Following the signing ceremony, the delegation toured Leiden Law School and its library, and explored the Leiden years of Hugo Grotius, the "father of international law," including the sites of his studies, commemorative landmarks, and spaces dedicated to his academic legacy. The delegation also visited representatives of alumni studying in Leiden.

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, affiliated with Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, is a globally leading and authoritative research institution in the fields of comparative law, private international law, and commercial law. During the visit, Professor Knut Benjamin Pißler, head of the Center for East Asian / Sino-Korean Law Studies at the institute, hosted the delegation and engaged in exchanges throughout. The two sides focused on cutting-edge topics in international law and academic exchanges for young scholars, holding in-depth discussions. This built a sound communication bridge for future joint research projects and academic visits, and accumulated high-quality resources for the School’s disciplinary development in foreign-related rule of law and international academic exchanges.

While in Germany, the delegation also visited representatives of alumni studying there and exchanged views with young Chinese scholars studying and researching in Germany.