Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, met with Giuseppe Yoffreda, ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to China, in Beijing on May 26.

Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, meets with Giuseppe Yoffreda, ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to China, in Beijing on May 26, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Zhang, also China's chief justice, extended a warm welcome to the ambassador, saying that the bilateral relationship between the two countries has remained as solid as a rock and maintained steady development since its establishment. Leaders of the two countries have established solid mutual trust and a deep friendship, which have provided important political guarantees and strategic guidance to the China-Venezuela comprehensive strategic partnership, according to Zhang. The top courts of the two countries have had long-term friendly exchanges with frequent high-level visits and signing of memorandums of understanding, which have elevated judicial exchanges and cooperation to a higher level, he added. The Venezuelan Embassy in China has played a bridging role, creating favorable conditions for exchanges and cooperation between the judicial organs of the two countries, he said, adding that he is confident that bilateral judicial cooperation will further deepen and more tangible results will be seen under the support of the embassy and the ambassador.

He briefly introduced China's rule of law development and courts' work in recent years regarding case hearings, innovative measures on social governance and information-based development. Noting that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Venezuela, he said that China's SPC is ready to work with its Venezuelan counterpart to fully implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and strive for stronger judicial services for the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Yoffreda spoke highly of Chinese courts' work, especially the extensive application of artificial intelligence technology in the judicial field. He raised hope for more mutual visits and exchanges between the top courts of the two countries, to continuously expand the scope of judicial cooperation and to benefit the people of both countries.

Zhang Jun accompanies Giuseppe Yoffreda, ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to China, to visit the smart court laboratory of the SPC on May 26, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

After the meeting, Zhang accompanied the ambassador to visit the smart court laboratory of the SPC.