Personal Profile

Guangfa Tong, PhD and professor of Environmental Law, was born in Xinyang, Henan in December 1972 and is now a Beijing resident. His main research interest is law on environmental and natural resources protection.

From July 2001 to now, Guangfa Tong has been teaching at the School of Grammar, Beijing University of Agriculture. He was recognized as a lecturer in July 2002, appointed as an associate professor in December 2008, Presiding Dean of the Department of Law from May 2015 to June 2017, and obtained a Doctor's degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law from Peking University in June 2015. He was appointed as a professor in January 2021.

Currently he teaches the following courses: General Civil Law, Company Law, Environmental Law, and Natural Resources Law. The courses he has taught include: Company Law, Property Law, Intellectual Property Law, Tort Law, Real Estate Law, General Commercial Law, Environmental Ethics and Law, Animal Protection Law, etc.

Publications

• On Environment Law, Intellectual Property Publishing Press, August 2020.
• Multiple Perspectives of Civil Liability of Invasive Alien Species, Intellectual Property Publishing Press, December 2014.
• Legal Countermeasures of Invasive Alien Species in China (Editor in Chief), Intellectual Property Publishing Press, April 2008.
• On the General Rules of Civil Law, Intellectual Property Publishing Press, October 2005.
• Essence of Law (Subeditor), Intellectual Property Publishing Press, September 2005.
• General Introduction to People`s Mediation (Editor), Chinese Procuratorial Press, June 2004.

Papers

Papers

• Problems and Countermeasures of the National Park Franchise Management System in China (Corresponding Author), Journal of Beijing University of Agriculture, Issue 4, 2020.
• Environmental rights of future generations: Reflection and construction, Research on Environmental Rights from the Perspective of Typology, Peking University Press, June 2020
• Assessment of Enterprise abiding by the Environmental Laws, published in Assessment Report on the Law of Environmental Protection, China University of Political Science and Law Press, June 2019.
• On the problems of Beijing forest eco-compensation legal mechanisms and policies practice, Journal of Beijing University of Agriculture, Issue 4, 2018.
• Green Development is the Internal Requirement of Constructing the Community of Human Destiny, of Environmental Economy, July 2016.
• How Did the Enterprises Abide by the Revised EPL of China between 2014 and 2016——a case study in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Environmental Economy, May 2016.
• On the Improvements and Problems of Enterprises Abiding by the Newly Amended Chinese Environmental Protection Law, Social Sciences in Chinese Higher Education Institutions, Issue 4, 2016.
• State Ownership of Natural Resources in China: Another Perspective, Journal of Jiangsu University, Issue 5, 2016.
• Evaluation of Hundreds of Enterprises Abiding by CEPA, Environmental Economy, Issue 6, 2016.
• On the Distribution of Burden of Proof on Causation in Environmental Torts of China, Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology (Social Science Edition), Issue 4, 2015.
• On the Imputation Principles of Environmental Torts and Damage, Oriental Law, Issue 3, 2015.
• On the Concept of Environmental Damage and the Interpretation of Several Related Articles in Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, Tsinghua Forum of Rule of Law, 2015.
• On the Legal Mechanism of Grassland PES in China, Journal of Nanjing Tech University (Social Science Edition), Issue 1, 2015.
• Should Article 66 of Tort Liability Law of China be Interpreted as Presumption of Causation or Shifting the Burden of Proof, Tsinghua Forum of Rule of Law, 2014.
• Legal Prevention and Control of Alien Species Invasion in China, Journal of Chongqing University of Technology (Social Science Edition), Issue 7, 2012.
• On the Civil Liability of Alien Species Invasion, Journal of Beijing University of Agriculture, Issue 4, 2012.
• On Civil Liabilities for Invasion of Alien Species: Based on an Externalities Perspective, Northern Legal Science, Issue 5, 2010.

Doctoral thesis

•  Study on the Causation of Environmental Torts (2018-2021)

Social Positions

• Secretary General, Environmental and Resource Law Research Institute of Beijing Law Society
• Member, Teaching Research Committee of Environmental Resources Law Research Society of China Law Society
• Standing Council Member, Environmental Law Association of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences
• Council Member, Beijing Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Society
• Expert Member, Mediation Center of New Plant Variety Dispute of Globe-Law Firm
• Senior Adviser, Deheng Law Firm

Work Experience

• 1997-1998  GuangLei Law Firm in Zhengzhou
• Jul. 2001-present  Professor of Law at the Department of Law, Beijing University of Agriculture
• Dec. 2008-Feb. 2021 Part-time Attorney at Lehman Lee & Xu Law Firm in Beijing
• Mar. 2021-present  Part-time Attorney at Globe-Law Law Firm

Education

• Aug. 2018-Oct. 2010 LL.M, Tsinghua - Temple University Law School
• Aug. 2017-Mar. 2018 Visiting Scholar, Law School of University of California, Berkeley, as a student of Prof. Daniel Farber
• Sep. 2011-Jun. 2015 PhD. in Environmental Law, Peking University Law School, as a student of Prof. Wang Jing, with title of the doctoral thesis being the study of causality in environmental tort
• Dec. 2009-Dec. 2010 Visiting Scholar, Law School of University of Minnesota, as a student of Prof. Brett McDonnel
• Sep. 2007- Jun. 2008 Visiting Scholar, Law School of Renming University of China, as a student of Prof. Wang Yi
• Mar. 2000 Qualification as a lawyer of the People's Republic of China
• Sep. 1998- Jun. 2001 Master of Civil &Commercial Law, Zhengzhou University Law School, as a student of Prof. Ning Jincheng
• Sep. 1993-Jun. 1997 Bachelor of Law, Zhengzhou University Law School 

Honors & Awards

• Second Prize of the Advisory Service Report Award of the Eighth Scientific Research Excellence Award of Colleges and Universities, Awarded by Department of Education of PRC (12/2020)
• Second Prize (in the Fourth Place) of Beijing Higher Education Teaching Achievement, Awarded by Beijing Municipal People’s Government (2017)
• First Prize of Higher Education Teaching Achievement from 2013 to 2017 of Beijing Agricultural University
• Excellent Award of “Creative Cup” Multimedia Courseware Making and Micro Course of Beijing Municipal Colleges and Universities, Awarded by Beijing Municipal Education Department (2013)

Research

1. Projects that Dr. Tong Presided Over

• Study on How to Revise the Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants, funded by Department of National Forest and Grass (2018-2020).
• Research on Causality in Judicial Adjudication of Ecological Environmental Damage (2018-2020).
• Research on Causality Judgment in Environmental Judicial Trials in China, funded by Chinese Law Association (2017-2018).
• Research on the Legal System of Eco-compensation in Beijing, (SZ201510020012; 2015-2017), funded by Beijing Municipal Philosophical and Social Sciences Planning Project and a key social science project of Beijing Municipal Education Commission.
• Evaluation of the Newly Amended Chinese Environmental Protection Law, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (12/2015-1/2016), for which Dr. Tong undertook the subproject: Evaluation of Corporate Compliance with Environmental Laws.
• Performance Evaluation of the Implementation of the Fisheries Law in Beijing, funded by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture (11/2015-12/2015).
• Regulation of Rural Landscape Planning and Construction in Beijing, funded by Beijing Rural Landscape Engineering Research Center (2015-2016).
• Study on the Cases of Invasive Alien Species, funded by Beijing New Rural Construction Research Center (2011-2012)
• Study on Civil Responsibility of Invasive Alien Species, funded by Beijing Municipal Education Commission (2009-2011).
• Study on Legal Responsibility of Invasive Alien Species in China (D08018), funded by Chinese Law Association (2008-2009).

2. Projects that Dr. Tong Participated In

• On Preventive Environmental Public Interest Litigation, funded by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the European Environmental Protection Association (2020-2021), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research from the perspective of court judgment.
• On the Cases of Environmental Pollution Liability Insurance Claims, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (2016-2017), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on guidelines and typical cases regarding environmental pollution liability insurance claims.
• Evaluation of the Newly Amended Chinese Environmental Protection Law, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (01/2017), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the evaluation of corporate environmental compliance.
• Evaluation of the Newly Amended Chinese Environmental Protection Law, a project of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the evaluation of enterprise environmental compliance (01/2016). On May 23, 2016, members of the project research group (including Dr. Tong) held the press conference and implementation effect seminar on the Evaluation Report on the Newly Amended Chinese Environmental Protection Law in Beijing. More than 30 media, including China National Radio, China Central Television and Xinhua News Agency, interpreted, publicized and reported it from different aspects. The research result of the project, i.e. the implementation assessment report, was approved by the Minister of Environmental Protection; the relevant conclusions in the assessment report were accepted by the National People's Congress Standing Committee's special enforcement inspection of the Environmental Protection Law, and these parts are also reflected in the inspection report.
• Research on the System Development and Legal Protection of the Eco-compensation Mechanism (12AZD062; a key project of the National Social Science Fund) (2012-2015), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the legal system of grassland ecological compensation.
• On the Types of Rights in Environmental Law (12JJD820010; a major project of the Ministry of Education) (2012-2014), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on rights of future persons.
• Research on Environmental Liability Ordinance, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (2012-2014), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on feasibility of environmental liability law.
• Study on Legislative Revision of the ‘Regulations on the Management of Environmental Impact Assessment of Construction Projects’, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (2012-2014), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the revision and demonstration in the preliminary phase.
• Management Measures for Overlimit Fund of Environmental Pollution Liability Insurance, funded by Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (2013), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the drafting of the framework and provisions of the measures for overlimit fund management.
• Liability Insurance of Radioactive Pollution, funded by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of PRC (2012-2013), for which Dr. Tong undertook the drafting of the final research report.
• On the Legislation of Eco-Compensation in China, funded by Asian Development Bank/NDRC (2011-2013), for which Dr. Tong undertook the research on the drafting of the framework of regulations and provisions on grassland eco-compensation.