UM, UNCITRAL-RCAP hold joint conference on trade law

The Faculty of Law (FLL) of the University of Macau (UM) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNCITRAL-RCAP) held a joint conference. During the event, experts and scholars from Austria, Belgium, China, Greece, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macao discussed landmark developments in the harmonisation of international trade law and the transparency of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in the era of generative artificial intelligence.

Since 2014, UM FLL and UNCITRAL-RCAP have jointly organised ten high-level international conferences and one international legal symposium. This year’s conference, themed ‘Trade Law Harmonization in an Era of Generative AI: Revisiting UNCITRAL Legal Standards on Uniform Sales Law, e-Commerce, Dispute Settlement, and Insolvency’, focused on a number of contemporary legal issues related to UNCITRAL instruments and the current harmonisation mandate of various UNCITRAL working groups.

The conference covered a range of innovative topics, aimed at addressing the most pressing issues in the harmonisation of international trade law today. The topics included ‘Transparency of ISDS Interests’, ‘Balancing Diverse Interests Reflecting UN SDGs’, ‘Legal Innovations and E-Commerce’, ‘Use of Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Technology Used in Dispute Resolution’, and ‘The Relevance of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) to Macao SAR’. The conference featured six expert-led panel discussions, providing a platform for in-depth analysis and debate on key issues. Speakers, who were eminent representatives of UNCITRAL and distinguished legal experts from around the world, discussed current trends and future directions in the harmonisation of international trade law, providing insights from global and regional perspectives.

The conference was supported by the World Trade Center (WTC) Macau Arbitration Center, Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC), China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Hong Kong Arbitration Center, Zhuhai Court of International Arbitration (ZCIA), Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA), and eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited.

The opening ceremony was attended by: Athita Komindr, head of UNCITRAL-RCAP; Tong Io Cheng, dean of UM FLL; Wong Kio Chan, head of the Treaty Division of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government; Vong Sok Hei Rosita, secretary general of the WTC Macau Arbitration Center; Chau Seng Chon, member of the Board of Directors of the Macao Lawyers Association; Fan Mingchao, executive vice president of SHAC; Brad Wang, deputy secretary general of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; Wu Xueting, vice-president of ZCIA; Huen Wong, council member of SCIA; Wenny Huang, deputy chief executive officer and secretary general of eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited; Rostam J Neuwirth, head of the Department of Global Legal Studies of UM FLL; and Muruga Perumal Ramaswamy, associate professor in UM FLL.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59753/

Several UM members awarded decorations and medals of merit by Macao SAR Government

The Macao SAR Government today (29 November) held the 2024 Decorations, Medals and Certificates of Merit Awards Ceremony, where Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng presented the awards to individuals and entities in recognition of their achievements, outstanding contributions, or distinguished service.

Several UM members were on the honours list this year: Lam Kam Seng Peter, chair of the University Council, was awarded the Decoration of Honour—Golden Lotus; Kong Chio Fai and Ma Chi Ngai, members of the University Council, were awarded the Medal of Merit—Professions; Iau Teng Pio, associate dean of the Faculty of Law, and Mak Pui In, director of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, were awarded the Medal of Merit—Education. In addition, UM alumni Chan Ka Leong and Choi Sio Un were awarded the Medal of Merit—Philanthropy and the Medal for Distinguished Service—Medal for Dedication, respectively.

About the Decorations, Medals and Certificates of Merit

The Macao SAR Government awards Decorations, Medals and Certificates of Merit to individuals or entities who have made outstanding contributions to the image and reputation of the Macao SAR, either within or outside the city, or who have made exceptional contributions in any field beneficial to the development of the Macao SAR.

For the full honours list (in Chinese and Portuguese only), please visit: https://www.gov.mo/honours-awards/zh-hant/laureate

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59742/

ZJUT president to give talk on green and low-carbon science and technology innovation at UM next Wednesday

The University of Macau (UM) will hold a talk titled ‘Integration between Science and Education to Promote Green and Low-Carbon Science and Technology Innovation’ on 4 December (Wednesday) as part of its University Lecture Series. The talk will be given by Gao Xiang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT), who will discuss green transformation and the challenges of climate change, and share his insights and experiences in integrating research and teaching to promote green and low-carbon science and technology innovation.

The talk will begin at 5:00pm in the Multi-function Hall of the UM Guest House (N1-G014) and will be conducted in Mandarin. All are welcome to attend. To register for the talk, please visit https://isw.um.edu.mo/evmapp/register/ULSxianggao. For enquiries, please call +853 8822 8878 or email uls@um.edu.mo.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59735/

UM holds closing ceremony and exhibition for training programme in traditional Chinese arts

The University of Macau (UM) held a closing ceremony and an exhibition for the art talent training programme ‘Cultivation of Creative Talents in Chinese Traditional Fine Arts for Art Teachers in Macau’ funded by the China National Arts Fund 2024. The exhibition showcases the learning outcomes of the participants, including 24 lesson plans and artistic creations, in addition to 30 pieces of artwork by students and teachers from the training programme.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, UM Vice Rector Michael Hui said that the award of funding from the China National Arts Fund to UM to launch the programme was a testament to the university’s development in the arts and its commitment to training art teachers and artists in Macao. He expressed hope that all participants will continue to promote Chinese arts and remain dedicated and enthusiastic in their teaching profession.

The exhibition is currently held in the Exhibition and Multi-function Hall of UM’s Cultural Building (E34-G016). It is open from 9:00am to 5:45pm until 16 December, and is closed on weekends and public holidays. Admission is free and all are welcome to visit.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59731/

UM Macao Humanities Forum discusses grammaticalisation of languages

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) held the Macao Humanities Forum, featuring a lecture titled ‘Unidirectionality of Grammaticalization and Scope’ by Heiko Narrog, professor at Tohoku University, Japan. The lecture was well-attended by students and faculty, as well as online participants.

Joaquim Kuong, assistant dean of FAH, said in his speech that languages around the world have evolved over the years in terms of phonology, semantics, morphology, and syntax, with grammaticalisation being one of the most important phenomena. Yang Wenjiang, head of the Department of Japanese, then introduced Prof Narrog’s academic career. Prof Narrog holds PhD degrees from the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and the University of Tokyo, Japan, and has been a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, Japan. His research interests include linguistic typology, modality, grammatical change (especially grammaticalisation), and semantic maps. His publications include several monographs and co-authored handbooks published by Oxford University Press, and over 200 high-quality journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews.

In the lecture, Prof Narrog first used examples such as the lexical verb ‘go’ in English becoming a future tense marker, verbs becoming non-lexical modal auxiliaries, and the numeral for ‘one’ in many languages becoming an indefinite article like ‘a’, to explain the concept of grammaticalisation, the process where a word evolves from a content word into a grammatical or discourse marker. It is widely accepted and well documented that in the process of grammaticalisation, grammatical or discourse markers generally do not revert to content words. This irreversible characteristic is described in academia as the ‘unidirectionality of grammaticalisation’. From a discourse-oriented perspective, as lexical entries develop towards grammatical categories, they become increasingly speaker-oriented, hearer-oriented, and text-oriented, for which the superordinate label ‘discourse-oriented’ is used. The grammaticalised items also move up the hierarchy of syntactic categories, often expressing themselves in a movement towards the peripheral position of a clause. Such a movement involves an expansion of scope. Prof Narrog pointed out that in the process of grammaticalisation, the transformation of the function of a word class and the expansion of its scope are inherently directional.

During the Q&A session, UM students and faculty engaged in in-depth discussions with Prof Narrog on language evolution. Xu Jie, dean of FAH, presented Prof Narrog with a souvenir for his insightful presentation.

This was the second lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum for the 2024/2025 academic year. Each year, the forum invites prominent scholars in different fields of the humanities to share their latest research findings with students and faculty members in Macao. Previous lectures of the forum have covered a wide range of topics, including literature, linguistics, history, translation, and arts.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59730/

UM scholar gives talk on statistics in data science age

The University of Macau (UM) held the 22nd UM Scholar Research Forum today (27 November), featuring Liu Zhi, professor in the Department of Mathematics of the UM Faculty of Science and Technology, as the speaker. Prof Liu gave a talk titled ‘Statistics in Data Science Age’ and shared his research findings. The talk attracted a full house, with many secondary school students and teachers participating online.

During the talk, Prof Liu highlighted the growing need to effectively process the constant stream of data generated in various industries in the era of big data to support social development, and that statistics provide robust theoretical and technical support for this need. He also gave an overview of the origins and development of statistics, and illustrated the important role of statistics through several simple examples.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59715/

Secretary of state for higher education of Republic of Angola leads delegation to visit UM

A delegation led by Eugénio Adolfo Alves da Silva, secretary of state for higher education of the Republic of Angola, visited the University of Macau (UM) today (26 November), and was warmly received by UM Rector Yonghua Song and Vice Rector Rui Martins. The two parties had in-depth discussions on promoting academic and research collaboration and talent cultivation between Macao and Angola.

Rector Song gave an overview of the history of higher education in Macao, and the current development of UM in terms of academic and scientific research, international cooperation, campus development, and student services. Vice Rector Martins talked about the current cooperation projects and alliances between UM and higher education institutions in Portuguese-speaking countries, UM’s International Student Scholarship, as well as the status of Angolan students studying at UM.

Eugénio Adolfo Alves da Silva highly praised UM’s achievements, noting that UM’s efforts to promote cooperation and talent cultivation with institutions in Portuguese-speaking countries have helped African institutions nurture talent and improve teaching quality, while also fostering cultural exchanges. He will continue to support UM in promoting exchanges and cooperation with Angola in higher education and talent cultivation, and expressed hope for deeper cooperation.

The delegation visited ‘The Wall of Great Wisdom’, the University Gallery, and the UM Wu Yee Sun Library. They also met with several Angolan students currently studying at UM to learn about their studies and life at the university. The delegation spoke highly of UM’s campus facilities and environment.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59701/

UM promotes healthy lifestyle through Healthy University Activity Series

The University of Macau (UM) held the Healthy University Carnival. Through a series of activities, the university aimed to promote health, safety, and environmental protection, and encourage students, faculty, and staff to adopt healthy lifestyles, reduce waste production, maximise the use of resources, and raise awareness of personal and campus safety.

The Healthy University Carnival is part of the 18th Healthy University Activity Series. The event featured a rich programme, including a lucky draw, a cappella performances, and Chinese dance performances. In addition, several government departments set up game booths and provided medical check-ups at the venue. Guests, students, and faculty also engaged in stretching exercises together.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59699/

UM Faculty of Law holds talk on ‘International Law in Schools: International Law and Multilateral Diplomacy’

The Faculty of Law (FLL) of the University of Macau (UM) invited Guo Xiaofeng, director of the Department of International Organizations and Legal Affairs of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, to deliver a talk on ‘International Law and Multilateral Diplomacy’. The talk attracted an audience of over one hundred scholars, students, and legal practitioners, and sparked lively discussions.

During the talk, Director Guo Xiaofeng focused on three perspectives: the current international landscape, the achievements of China’s diplomacy in the new era, and several hot issues in international law. He highlighted the current international landscape, ten achievements and six practices of China’s diplomacy in the new era by drawing upon General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Finally, Director Guo analysed three pressing issues in international law: climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the International Criminal Court, and presented China’s stance and views on these issues.

The students actively engaged with Director Guo, asking questions about the significant contributions of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in balancing national and international interests. Director Guo provided them with comprehensive and insightful answers. When asked about his most memorable experiences in diplomatic work, Director Guo shared special moments from past international conferences, which created a joyful atmosphere and provided UM alumni, students and faculty with an in-depth understanding of diplomatic work. The participants said that the talk was insightful, providing them with deeper insights into multilateral diplomacy and an opportunity for academic exchange. They also highly praised Director Guo’s presentation.

The event was organised by UM FLL, in collaboration with the Macao Legal Exchange and Promotion Association, the University of Macau Faculty of Law Alumni Association, and the Faculty of Law Students’ Association of UM. Guests, experts, and scholars who attended the event included: Iau Teng Pio, acting dean of UM FLL; Wei Dan, associate dean of UM FLL; Chu Lam Lam, senior instructor of UM FLL; Vong Keng Hei, president of the Macao Legal Exchange and Promotion Association; Chau Seng Chon, president of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law at the University of Macau; Chong Sam Meng, president of the University of Macau Faculty of Law Alumni Association; and Li Jiuye, secretary of the Department of International Organizations and Legal Affairs of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/59686/

A Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Macau organiza com sucesso o seminário “O Direito Internacional no Campus: Direito Internacional e Diplomacia Multilateral”

A Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Macau (FDUM) teve a honra de acolher o Dr. Guo Xiaofeng, Director do Departamento Geral do Comissariado do Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros da República Popular da China na Região Administrativa Especial de Macau, para proferir um seminário subordinada ao tema “Direito Internacional e Diplomacia Multilateral”. O evento reuniu mais de uma centena de académicos, estudantes e profissionais do direito, gerando um debate enriquecedor e dinâmico.

Durante a palestra, o Director Guo abordou o tema em três vertentes principais: o actual panorama internacional, os êxitos alcançados pela diplomacia chinesa na nova era e as questões prementes do Direito Internacional contemporâneo. Fundamentando-se nos discursos proferidos pelo Presidente Xi Jinping na Conferência Central sobre o Trabalho Relativo aos Negócios Estrangeiros, no Relatório do XX Congresso Nacional do Partido Comunista da China e nos resultados da Terceira Sessão Plenária do XX Comité Central, o orador destacou os dez principais feitos da diplomacia chinesa na nova era, bem como as seis lições valiosas aprendidas ao longo deste percurso.

Na parte final do seminário, o Director Guo centrou-se em três tópicos cruciais do Direito Internacional actual: as alterações climáticas, o conflito israelo-palestiniano e o Tribunal Penal Internacional. O orador apresentou a posição e a perspectiva da China sobre estas matérias, aprofundando a análise das mesmas e suscitando grande interesse por parte da audiência.

Os estudantes participaram activamente na sessão de perguntas e respostas, abordando, entre outros temas, as significativas contribuições da iniciativa “Uma Faixa, Uma Rota” para a conciliação de interesses nacionais e internacionais. As respostas do Director Guo foram detalhadas e esclarecedoras, promovendo uma compreensão mais profunda dos desafios da diplomacia multilateral. Questionado sobre as experiências mais memoráveis da sua carreira diplomática, o orador partilhou episódios vividos em conferências internacionais, proporcionando momentos descontraídos e enriquecedores que aproximaram ainda mais os presentes da realidade do trabalho diplomático.

Os participantes elogiaram unanimemente a palestra, destacando não só a sua relevância académica, como também o estímulo proporcionado à reflexão sobre questões multilaterais e as oportunidades de intercâmbio académico que dela resultaram.

O evento foi organizado pela Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Macau, com a colaboração da Associação do Intercâmbio Jurídico de Macau, da Associação de Antigos Alunos da FDUM e da Associação de Estudantes da FDUM. Entre os ilustres convidados e académicos presentes, destacaram-se o Prof. Iau Teng Pio, Director interino da FDUM; a Prof.ª Wei Dan, Vice-Directora da FDUM; a Dra. Chu Lam Lam, instrutora sénior; o Dr. Vong Keng Hei, Presidente da Associação do Intercâmbio Jurídico de Macau; o Dr. Chau Seng Chon, Presidente da Associação de Antigos Alunos da FDUM; o Sr. Chong Sam Meng, Presidente da Direcção da Associação de Estudantes da FDUM; e o Secretário do Departamento Geral do Comissariado do Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Dr. Li Jiuye.

Para ler a notícia no sítio Web oficial da UM, visite a seguinte ligação:
https://www.um.edu.mo/pt-pt/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/59686/

UM holds inter-university Chinese classics recitation show

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM), in collaboration with the School of Linguistic Sciences and Arts of Jiangsu Normal University (JSNU) and the Faculty of Humanities of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), organised the Mainland-Hong Kong-Macao University Students’ Chinese Classics Recital Show. The event received over 350 entries from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, and two UM students won the ‘Best Recitation Award’ and the ‘Sparkling Youth Award’ respectively.

Out of the 350 entries, 30 works from 19 institutions, including UM, PolyU, JSNU, the Communication University of China, Beijing Film Academy, and Shanghai Theatre Academy, were selected for the show. The participants came from diverse academic backgrounds, including the arts, sciences, engineering, and medicine. Chen Hailun, a student from the Faculty of Business Administration and Cheng Yu Tung College at UM, won the ‘Best Recitation Award’ for her performance of ‘Ai Lian Shuo’ (Ode to the Lotus), while Chen Ruoqing, a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College at UM, won the ‘Sparkling Youth Award’ for her performance of ‘Ban Jie Pi Dai’ (Half a Belt).

The show, themed ‘Reciting Ancient and Modern Classics, Inheriting Chinese Culture, and Celebrating the Spirit of the Times’, was held at UM for its Macao edition. Xu Jie, dean of FAH; Li Ping, dean of the Faculty of Humanities of PolyU; and Yang Yiming, chair of the Academic Committee of JSNU and director of the National Language Promotion Base, delivered speeches on behalf of the three organisers respectively. Dean Xu said in his speech that Chinese classics are a remarkable cultural heritage and an inexhaustible source of spiritual wealth. While Chinese classics are deeply rooted in China, they hold significance for the whole world and should be cherished, especially in today’s globalised, information-driven era. He added that the event had great significance, as it served as a platform for students and faculty from JSNU, PolyU, and UM to exchange ideas, promote cooperation, and strengthen friendships.

During the show, students from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao presented over ten captivating performances at the Black Box Theatre in FAH. These included dance performances with dancers dressed in various ethnic costumes, group recitations of the Classic of Poetry, a poetry slam, and the award-winning performance ‘Half a Belt’ by a UM student. As a special guest, Jeremy De Chavez, associate professor in the Department of English of FAH, recited the poem ‘Jiang Jin Jiu’ (Bring in the Wine) by Chinese poet Li Bai in both Chinese and English.

Dean Xu highly praised the professional and outstanding performances of the students, and expressed hope for further exchanges and cooperation among students and faculty in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao. The participating students and faculty also visited Cheng Yu Tung College, the University Gallery, and the UM Wu Yee Sun Library to deepen exchanges.

Since its inception in 2021, the show has provided a platform for university students from Jiangsu, Hong Kong, and Macao who are passionate about recitation and Chinese culture. It aims to promote Chinese culture, and encourage university students to study ancient and modern classics, and improve their language proficiency and cultural literacy.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/59684/