Bulletin Spring‧Summer Autumn‧Winter 1999

L AW International Conference on the Application of Law between the Two Sides of the Taiwan Straits The conference was held on 3rd and 4th May 1990 at the University's Cho Yiu Conference Hall . It was the second international conference on the same theme since November 1988 and was organize d by the Chinese Law Programme of the University's Centre for Contemporary Asian Studies in conjunction with the Hong Kong Law Society, the Taipei Lawyers Association and the A ll China Lawyers Association of Beijing. Over 80 prominent lawyers and scholars from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and North America took part in the proceedings. Sir T.L. Yang, Chief Justice of Hong Kong and convener of th e Chinese Law Programme, officiated at the opening ceremony. Discussions centred around the legal problems that had cropped up since people from Taiwan starte d to visit the mainland and engage in various forms of economic activities. Twenty-two papers were presented and topics included legislative coordination, legal representation, notary publics, investment and trade, marriage and inheritance, protection of intellectual properties, and other legal matters of a civil and criminal nature. Two important documents had also been obtained from Beijing and Taipei for reference - the 'Draft Proposal on the Law on People's Relations between the Mainland and Taiwan Regions' prepared by Beijing's Institute on Taiwan Law, and the 'Draft Provisional Regulations Ordinance on People-to- People Relations between the Mainland and Taiwan Regions' prepared by Taiwan's Executive Yuan for the Legislative Yuan's consideration. Participants freely gave their views on the contents of the documents and the feasibility of the two drafts. They all concurred that the enactment of laws to govern relations between the two shores of the Taiwan Straits was of paramount importance. The conference attracted much public attention and was widely reported in the local press. The organizers have planned to publish the more important papers of the two conferences as a reference for those interested in legal exchanges between the two shores of the Taiwan Straits. Efforts ar e also being made t o enable a third conference on the same theme to be organized in Beijing next spring. LANGUAGE & LITERATURE Conference on the Teaching of English Language/ Literature in the Hong Kong Context To provide an opportunity for English teachers in tertiary institutions and secondary schools to exchange views on questions related to the teaching of English language and literature in Hong Kong, a three-day conference was held on campus from 7th to 9th June. Organizers included the Department of English and the English Language Teaching Unit of the University, the British Council, and the Secondary English Teachers Association. C O N F E R E N CE S E R I ES 一 17