From October 20 to 21, 2025, Ji Weidong — Distinguished Professor of Humanity and Social Sciences at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), President of China Institute for Socio-Legal Studies, and Co-Chair of the United Nations University (UNU) Global AI Network Council — led the team of the “Research on Sustainable Legal Mechanism in Marine and Island Regions” to Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan Province. The team conducted in-depth research on “Research on Sustainable Legal Mechanism in Regions with Marine and Island Characteristics” of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Green and Digital Innovation Cooperation Project (GDIP) and held a project proposal on the morning of October 21. More than 50 experts and scholars from domestic and foreign universities including SJTU, Fudan University, Wuhan University, Shanghai University, University of Copenhagen, and Kyoto Women’s University, as well as the UNU AI Network Council, participated either online or offline, witnessing the full launch of the project.

On the morning of October 20, the team conducted a field visit to the Baoting Ningyuan Demonstration Zone. After in-depth discussions with the Baoting County Government, they gained a systematic understanding of Baoting’s existing actions and future plans under the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

The research seminar was held in the office building of the Baoting County Government. Professor Ji Weidong’s team held face-to-face exchanges with more than ten local government departments including the Development and Reform Commission, Bureau of Justice, Bureau of Ecology and Environment, People’s Bank of China Baoting Sub-Branch, and Forestry Bureau. Discussions focused on core issues such as carbon emission data governance, bottlenecks in forest carbon sink financing, lack of rural land mortgage loan systems, cross-border data flow compliance, and diversified environmental dispute resolution mechanisms, collecting first-hand materials for subsequent legislative and policy research.

On the morning of October 21, the UNDP-GDIP Legal Project Kick-off Meeting was officially held. Hosted by the Ningyuan Institute of Climate and Sustainable Development (Hainan) (UNDP-GDIP Project Office), the meeting was organized by the Center for Japanese Studies SJTU, KoGuan School of Law, and China Institute for Socio-Legal Studies. Professor Ji Weidong acted as the host and delivered a brief opening address and words of thanks. Ms. Wang Yalin, Head of the Sustainable Investment and Business Unit at the UNDP China Office, and Ms. Wang Danqing, Director of the UNDP-GDIP Project Office, also delivered the opening address.

At the meeting, five sub-project leaders delivered project opening reports in sequence, systematically elaborating on the research framework, innovative highlights, and annual roadmap of each sub-project. They are: Qin Tianbao, Distinguished Professor of Hongyi Program and Dean of Wuhan University School of Law (online); Zhu Qinghua, Chair Professor and Vice Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management, SJTU; Xu Duoqi, Professor of Fudan University Law School and Director of Center for Digital Economy and Law Research, Fudan University; Zheng Zhihua, Associate Researcher at Center for Japanese Studies SJTU; and Wu Chentao, Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SJTU.