On November 26, 2025, the Law School of Beijing Normal University hosted a lecture titled “Exploring the Power to Navigate Cycles – The Internet Industry Through the Eyes of Legal Professionals” in Room 101 of Teaching Building 8. The event featured Dr. Liu Ming, Legal Research Director of Douyin Group, as the keynote speaker, with Professor Wu Shenkuo of the BNU Law School serving as the host. The lecture drew an enthusiastic crowd of students.
To open the session, Professor Wu Shenkuo introduced Dr. Liu Ming, highlighting his remarkable achievements in the research and practice of civil law and internet law. He expressed his sincere gratitude for Dr. Liu’s presence and extended a warm welcome to the attending faculty and students.
Dr. Liu Ming began his address by using the ups and downs of the Chinese internet industry over the past decade as a backdrop. Combining this context with his personal experiences, he interpreted the cyclical changes shaping the industry's development. He structured his talk around three core aspects: the factors that shape trends, the reasons for market fluctuations, and the power to navigate these cycles.
Dr. Liu first pointed out that the Chinese internet industry rests on unique foundational conditions. He noted that China has continuously improved its public infrastructure in telecommunications, logistics, finance, data centers, and energy, laying a solid material foundation for the industry. Thanks to these facilities, smart connected devices have rapidly proliferated, and the digitization of both consumption and industry has accelerated. Furthermore, unlike foreign markets, China’s vast domestic market naturally creates the scale effects required for industrial development. Additionally, disruptive innovations in mobile internet, big data, algorithm technology, cloud computing, and the platform economy have generated new market demands, production modes, and relationships, resulting in higher efficiency. However, he noted that these advancements also challenge existing social governance systems and interest distribution patterns. While China adheres to an inclusive and prudent governance philosophy—providing necessary conditions for innovation and incremental change—factors such as the "algorithmic black box" and capital logic have impacted the balance of interests. Moreover, in the context of de-globalization, capital market fluctuations and geopolitical risks pose significant global compliance pressures for enterprises.
Dr. Liu emphasized that the boundaries of the market are endless and that innovation is the fundamental driving force for development; these are the two critical forces that transcend cycles. He also stressed that the advancement of inclusive and prudent governance is crucial for the next stage of technological and industrial progress. Speaking from the perspective of a practitioner, Dr. Liu highlighted the importance of the legal profession's unique characteristics, advising students to build solid research capabilities while maintaining keen insights into domestic and international cutting-edge developments.
The lecture concluded with a lively Q&A session, where participants engaged in discussions on legal academic exploration, corporate antitrust, and internships at major technology companies. Dr. Liu provided detailed responses to the questions, deepening the audience's understanding of these legal issues. Finally, Professor Wu Shenkuo expressed his gratitude once again to Dr. Liu Ming and the attentive audience, bringing the successful and harmonious event to a close.
(Contributed by: Tan Yinghui)