The China-EU School of Law (CESL), the first law school managed by Chinese and foreign institutions, opened last Friday in Beijing. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang attended the opening ceremony.

Li hailed the school as an important step in China's progress to rule of law, state media reported.

For his part, Barroso emphasized that the CESL would help increase mutual understanding.

The CESL, which is part of the China University of Political Science and Law, is jointly operated by 16 Chinese and European universities. The goal of the school, Xinhua said, is "to cultivate a new generation of comprehensively trained law professionals proficient in international legal procedure."