Chinese delegation visits International Institute of Air and Space Law
From 26 August until 5 September 2019, a group of 20 Chinese government officials, industry representatives and academics attended an intensive course on space law and policy at the International Institute of Air and Space Law, organized in cooperation with Avans+ in Breda.
The participants came from the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the National People’s Congress, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), Beihang University, Northwestern Polytechnical University and Beijing Institute of Technology.
Courses focused on various topics, such as the legal aspects of lunar exploration, the use of space resources, small satellite constellations, space debris, satellite navigation, earth observation, national space legislation and more.
The lectures were given by Asst. Professor Tanja Masson-Zwaan of IIASL, with assistance of her colleagues Dimitra Stefoudi and PhD student Zhuang Tian, who also helped with translations. Furthermore, Alexander Soucek, head of the International Law department of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Olavo Bittencourt Neto, visiting professor from the University of Santos in Brazil also gave a guest lecture. The group visited various space-related institutions in The Netherlands during their stay, such as the Netherlands Space Office, ISIS BV, TNO, ESA-ESTEC and SRON.
On 5 September, certificates of attendance were handed to each participant during a closing ceremony to conclude the course, which contributed to mutual understanding and cooperation through fruitful and open dialogues.