On 15-17 December 2011, Professor Ye Xingguo, SIFT Vice President,and Professor Zhang Lei, WTO Chair-holder, were invited to attendthe Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.During the Ministerial Conference, which is the topmostdecision-making body the World Trade Organization (WTO), VicePresident Ye and Professor Zhang visited various exhibitionsorganized by the WTO Secretariat at the conference hall, amongwhich SIFT was prominently labeled the only WTO Chair-holder inChina on the Map of the People’s Republic of China.
Upon invitation, SIFT Vice President Ye and Professor Zhang visitedthe Institute of International Law at the University of Bonn inGermany on 19 December. Professor Matthias Herdegen, formervice-rector of the Bonn University and current director of theInstitute of International Law, and Doctor Stefan Talmon briefedthe SIFT visitors on the master’s and doctoral programs ofinternational law at the Bonn University.
Upon visitation, SIFT Vice President Ye and Professor Zhang visitedthe world-renowned Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Propertyand Competition Law in Germany on 22 December. Doctor Henning GrossRuse briefed the SIFT visitors on the recent developments at theInstitute and congratulated SIFT on its achievements under the WTOChairs Program, believing that the two sides share many commonresearch interests and anticipating cooperation particularly on theresearch into the intellectual property law under the WTOframework.