A statement was released as the outcome of the China Forum on International Legal Cooperation held in Guangzhou from Nov 10 to 11.

The statement says that it is necessary to carry out multi-layer, multi-channel and across-the-board legal cooperation.

It calls for support for participants of the Belt and Road Initiative in deepening their cooperation on cyber security, crackdowns on cross-border crimes, drug trafficking and the “Three Forces” (namely, terrorism, separatism and extremism) joint law enforcement and security safeguards; in strengthening the building of law-based and honest governments and reinforcing the rule of law as the foundation for the building of the Belt and Road; in using the rule of law as a way of thinking to resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiation and continuing to enhance the consensus and mutual-trust in the rule of law; in strengthening communication and cooperation on such non-litigation dispute resolution approaches as mediation and arbitration; in advancing the “soft connection” in terms of policies, rules and standards; in strictly executing multi- and bi-lateral economic and trade agreements and establishing a binding enforcement mechanism for execution of international agreements; in being committed to the building of a high-level international trade and investment rule system that is impartial, reasonable and transparent; in enhancing international cooperation on intellectual property protection; in standardizing enterprises’ investment and management; and in improving rule of law-based anti-corruption systems and mechanisms.

More than 400 representatives from over 40 countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and four international organizations attended the forum.