An organizing committee chaired by Supreme People's Court Chief Justice and President Xiao Yang was appointed on Tuesday to begin preparing for this autumn's 22nd Congress on the Law of the World.

The event, sponsored by the World Jurist Association (WJA), will be held in Beijing and Shanghai from September 4 to 10. "The Rule of Law and Harmony of International Society" is the theme of this year's congress.

The 44-member committee is composed primarily of leading members of China's judicial sector.

"Law is the language with which we communicate with the world," said Xiao. 

The congress will focus on the rule of law, the role each country plays in building a harmonious international community and future challenges, said Cao Jianming, vice president of the Supreme People's Court.

The topics will cover legal cooperation and education, as well as the relationship of law to politics, international trade, technology and environmental protection. A demonstration trial presided over by the International Court chief justice and judges is scheduled to be held in the Great Hall of the People.

Founded in 1963, the World Jurist Association is a non-governmental organization based in Washington, DC, with special consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council. The biennial Congress on the Law of the World is held to encourage dialogue and cooperation among lawmakers, legal practitioners, and educators from around the globe.

China hosted the 14th Congress on the Law of the World in 1990.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn March 2, 2005)