On 1 December 2011, Yuwen Li was appointed as Professor of Chinese Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In her inaugural speech Yuwen Li addresses the fundamental and yet controversial issue of judicial independence in the context of Chinese law and judicial practice. Whilst recognizing the impressive progress China has made towards a more efficient judicial independence as part of its judicial reform over the past three decades, Yuwen Li also identifies the major features of judicial dependence in today's China. Her emphasis lies on the imperative prerequisite of judicial independence in building a professional and impartial judicial authority. Such authority is expected to play a significant role in not only China's transition, but also for the country's overall economic prosperity and social stability in the long run. As China's judicial reform has developed in an incremental manner, Yuwen Li points out that improving judicial independence is an evolving process. Consequently, she makes recommendations for a short-term and a long-term strategy in order to achieve a fullyfledged judicial independence.Dr Yuwen Li (1962) studied Chinese law and obtained her bachelor degree at the Law School of Peking University in 1984. She acquired a diploma in international law and a master degree in international relations at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. In 1994, she obtained her PhD at Utrecht University with the thesis Transfer of Technology for Deep Sea-bed Mining: The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention and Beyond (Martinus Nijhoff, 1994). From 1995 Yuwen Li has specialized in Chinese law with publications covering a vast array of topics, with an emphasis on legal development in the reform era of China. She has also co-directed numerous joint projects to promote the rule of law in China, sponsored by the Royal Dutch Embassy in Beijing.