On September 8, 2023, Liu Jianhong, Distinguished Professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Macau, was invited to deliver the keynote speech entitled “Asian Criminology – Paradigm and Future” at the 23rd Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology. Over the past 14 years, Asian criminology has rapidly grown into a subdiscipline of criminology with international influence. This speech addresses the major challenges faced by the discipline of criminology and reiterates the concepts, paradigms, future development strategies, and directions of Asian criminology. The speech directly points out the significant difficulties and limitations faced by Western criminology in terms of academic and theoretical aspects, as well as the formation of the Asian criminological paradigm and its potential contributions to the overall development of criminology. Furthermore, it highlights the distinctive contributions that Asian criminology is making in the digital era. Prof. Liu’s speech received a warm response, and the scholars in the meeting enthusiastically discussed the related academic topics with Prof. Liu.

The European Society of Criminology was established in 2000 and is one of the five most authoritative and influential criminology societies worldwide. The other four are the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) of the United States, the International Society of Criminology, and the Asian Criminological Society. The 23rd annual conference had approximately 2,500 scholars in attendance who formally registered from various countries around the world. The conference lasted for four days. The European Society of Criminology is the highest authoritative academic organization in the field of criminology, based on over 40 countries in Europe. Its main objective is to bring together individuals involved in criminological research, teaching, and practice in Europe, and to promote the academic, disciplinary education, and practical development of criminology in Europe. It also encourages academic, scientific, and practical exchanges and collaborations among criminologists in Europe and other regions. Professor Jianhong Liu was the first Asian scholar to be invited as a keynote speaker at the plenary session since the establishment of the European Society of Criminology.