Xi'an Jiaotong University, in the capital of Shaanxi province, one of China's top comprehensive universities, has invited a well-known international law expert to upgrade its international law education and research.

James Crawford, Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge, accepted a letter of appointment as professor of the Changjiang Scholars Lecture and honorary director of the university's Institute of Silk Road International Law and Comparative Law on Thursday from Wang Shuguo, president of Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Wang said he believes Crawford will make the law institute of the university better with his wisdom and knowledge.

Crawford said he is glad to be invited by Xi'an Jiaotong University and believes more and more Chinese young people would become known in the field of international law.

As Whewell Professor at the University of Cambridge, Crawford is one of the world's best known and most influential scholars of international law. His research interests include national identity, national self-determination, collective rights, international responsibility and other core issues of international law.

He is an internationally authoritative scholar and one of the most important educators and practitioners of international law in the world.