On the afternoon of February 6, 2026 local time, a delegation from King&Capital Law Firm visited the University of Munich, Germany, to conduct a special exchange seminar.
The exchange centered on the comparison of the criminal procedure system between China and Germany, focusing on four key topics, discussing in-depth the similarities and differences in the theory of criminal procedure and judicial practice between the two countries, and building an important bridge for academic communication between Chinese and German criminal procedure jurisprudence, and promoting mutual learning and appreciation of the theory and practice of the two sides in criminal justice.
During the exchange activities, the delegation and Prof. Matthias Krüge (Professor at the Law School of the University of Munich, mainly engaged in the research and teaching of criminal law and criminal procedure law) carried out in-depth discussions around the four key topics, expressed their views and exchanged opinions frankly.
Firstly, the introduction and comparison of criminal procedure between China and Germany, both sides sorted out the initiating conditions, leading subjects and procedural design of the core procedures of investigation, trial, relief and execution of penalty in the criminal procedure of the two countries, and exchanged views on the division of powers and responsibilities of the procuratorate, the court, the party concerned and the defense lawyers in the procedures, and explored the differences in the judicial concepts behind the procedural design.
Secondly, it compares the rules of evidence in criminal proceedings between China and Germany, focusing on the concept, scope and exclusion rules of illegal evidence, analyzing in detail the legislative differences and practical paths of the two countries in the determination of the legitimacy of evidence, and clarifying the common pursuits and different emphases of the two sides in the safeguard of the legitimacy of evidence and procedural fairness.
Third, the comparison between Germany's speedy trial procedure and China's system of leniency in pleading guilty and accepting punishment. The two sides exchanged views on the procedural design, scope of application, rate of application, and actual implementation effect of the two systems, explored the advantages and challenges faced by the two systems in improving judicial efficiency, economizing judicial resources, and solving social contradictions, and shared their respective practical experiences in improving the systems.
Fourthly, the criminal structure system and its impact on criminal defense strategy, Professor Krüge introduced in detail the main content and core logic of Germany's three-class criminal structure system, and the two sides discussed in depth the different roles of the three-class and four-element systems in defining the establishment of a crime and guiding the practice of defense, and analyzed the impact of the differences in the systems on the formulation of criminal defense strategy.
After the core topic discussion, we entered the interactive Q&A session. The delegation of King&Capital Law Firm combined with the content of the exchange, asked Professor Krüge questions about the practice of excluding illegal evidence, procedural justice, and the realization of the right to defense in China and Germany, and the professor patiently answered them one by one and further exchanged views with the members of the delegation on the specific issues, which deepened the delegation's understanding of the German criminal justice system.
At the end of the exchange, the delegation presented Prof. Krüge with the accompanying gifts specially brought from China, including the trilogy of Criminal Defense Curriculum edited by Mr. Tian Wenchang, founder of King&Capital Law Firm and compiled by more than 20 lawyers in King&Capital Law Firm, the characteristic Kyoto tea set and the characteristic Chinese tea, which was used to thank Prof. Krüge for his wonderful sharing and sincere exchange, conveyed the importance of the King&Capital Law Firm on the academic exchanges between China and Germany and the best wishes, and also enhanced the friendship between the two sides. It also enhanced the friendship between the two sides.
The content of this academic exchange activity was practical and focused, which not only enabled the delegation to systematically understand the core points and practical experience of the German criminal justice system, but also conveyed to Prof. Krüge and the University of Munich the development achievements of China's criminal justice system. Both sides expressed that the exchange was very fruitful and laid a good foundation for further academic exchanges in criminal law and criminal procedure between China and Germany and for deepening mutual learning and mutual appreciation in the future.
