Prof. Lewis’ trip to Australia recently as part of the Fulbright East Asian Pacific Regional Travel Program (RTP) provided her with a fantastic opportunity to both deepen and broaden her ties with the rich network of Australian academics engaged in studying China and, in particular, law. It also was a chance for Australian professors and students to learn more about Taiwan – as Prof. Lewis is a Fulbright scholar based in Taiwan –  which has received relatively little emphasis among academics there.

Prof. Lewis is grateful to her hosts: Australian National University’s Australian Centre on China in the World, Melbourne University Law School, and Griffith University. She is further grateful to the students and scholars, from these and other Australian universities, for their warm welcome and lively conversations during her stay.

In addition to introducing her work on Taiwan to a broader audience, the visit allowed her to engage with Australian academics on issues relevant to the cross-strait portion of her work. In particular, the workshop on “Ideology and Organisation in Chinese Communist Law” came at a critical juncture when scholars who study law in the People’s Republic of China are analyzing the host of changes to legal institutions that have been introduced in recent months. As we begin to grapple with the magnitude of these changes, it is hugely helpful to sit down for sustained, frank, and thoughtful discussions with researchers from multiple disciplines and countries. While foreign collaboration with entities based in China is facing increasing obstacles, it is refreshing to see that at least collaboration among scholars studying Chinese law around the world is increasingly vibrant.