The 15th International Conference on the Legal Reforms of Macao in the Global Context—‘Studies on the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of Macao’ commenced at the University of Macau (UM) today (16 October). The conference has brought together legal professors, scholars, institutional representatives, and students from the Chinese mainland, Macao, Portugal, Angola, Brazil, and Mozambique to engage in in-depth discussions on the modernisation of criminal law and criminal procedure law, the challenges they face, and ways to improve them in the global context.
Tong Io Cheng, dean of the UM Faculty of Law (FLL), said in his speech that FLL has a long-standing tradition of hosting conferences on legal reform, and is committed to addressing legal and governance issues. Given that the Macao SAR government is implementing public administration reforms, there is an increasing demand for legal reform within society. He added that criminal law is the last line of defence for maintaining social order. The Criminal Code of Macao incorporates the essence of the Portuguese criminal law, the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR. It is now facing new challenges presented by cybercrime, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence in the era of globalisation and digitalisation. As a model for the successful implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy and as a platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao plays a unique role in regional criminal justice cooperation and should therefore proactively address these new challenges.
Rui Cunha, president of the Rui Cunha Foundation, said in his speech that the foundation has long supported the organisation of similar legal conferences, with the aim of promoting the improvement of Macao’s legal system. He emphasised that in the era of globalisation where crime is becoming increasingly complex, Macao’s unique legal system provides an important gateway for the legal sector to engage in international exchanges. The conference provides Macao’s legal sector with an opportunity to learn from legal experts in Portuguese-speaking countries, thereby drawing on their experience to accelerate the process of judicial reform and advance the development of a modern legal system.
The two-day conference is sponsored by the Rui Cunha Foundation and SJM Resorts, Limited. The event aims to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas between different legal systems and encourage in-depth dialogue between legal professionals from various regions. It also seeks to raise attendees’ awareness of the latest issues in criminal law, such as cybercrime, data protection, and financial crime. UM FLL looks forward to strengthening its connections with the global legal community and promoting the internationalisation of criminal law research in Macao.
The conference was also attended by Rui Martins, vice dean of UM; João Nuno Calvão da Silva, vice rector of the University of Coimbra; Fong Chi In, legal advisor of SJM Resorts, Limited; and representatives from UM FLL.
