Sydney Law School will play host to 21 deans of Chinese Law Schools as part of a special Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD) event.

The Deans will meet with their Australian counterparts as part of a national drive to make local law degrees more China-focussed.

CALD chairwoman and Dean of Sydney Law School, Professor Gillian Triggs said the visit would "strengthen Australia's position at the vanguard of international legal alliances with China."

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Professor Triggs said she hoped the visit would boost understanding of the differences between Australian and Chinese legal systems and encourage academics to work together on research and teaching "to ensure that we are meeting international standards and that we are complying with the rule of law".

Professor Triggs said she hoped Australian and Chinese legal academics could discuss joint research during the event, with a focus on criminal law, international trade rules, energy and resources law, and access to South China Sea resources.
Environmental law, and labour laws applying to Australians work in China and foreign workers in Australian mining projects were also important research areas.
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is set to address legal academics from around Australia on global legal education as part of the Australasian Law Teachers Association (ALTA) 2012 Conference at the Law School following the visit by the delegation.