The 7th Cross-Strait and Hong Kong, Macao High-level Judicial Forum opens in Macao on Sept 21, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Zhang Jun, president of the China Association of Judges, attends and addresses the 7th Cross-Strait and Hong Kong, Macao High-level Judicial Forum. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

The 7th Cross-Strait and Hong Kong, Macao High-level Judicial Forum opened in Macao on Sept 21, with the theme of "justice and efficiency". President of the China Association of Judges Zhang Jun, President of the Court of Final Appeal of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) San Hou Fai, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong SAR Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, and President of the Chinese Society of Law in Taiwan Huang Maorong attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

Zhang pointed out that in the new era and new stage of development, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is on an irreversible historical course, where the rule of law is playing a more prominent role. How to safeguard the Chinese path to modernization through modernized trial work has become a common mission for courts across the country, he said.

Given the diversified characteristics of the judicial systems and judicial practices among courts in the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, this forum aims to better address the challenges of the times, deepen judicial exchanges and mutual learning, and jointly promote the prosperity and development of China's rule of law, he said.

He provided an overview on the mainland courts' practices and experience in trial modernization from the perspectives of trial concepts, mechanisms, systems and management, and called for further joint efforts to promote judicial exchanges and integrated development among the four regions, and to contribute more to the reunification of the motherland and the great rejuvenation of the nation.

In his address, San extended a warm welcome to the participating representatives. He said that since Macao returned to the motherland nearly 24 years ago, courts in Macao have committed to justice and efficiency in judicial practice and reform, and have actively explored ways to promote judicial justice and improve judicial efficiency by such means as establishing specialized courts, reforming the litigation system and introducing electronic means, in a bid to implement the "one country, two systems" principle with Macao characteristics. He raised his hope that the forum could help build a judicial system with better justice and efficiency across the four regions.

Cheung introduced the principles and highlights of the Hong Kong judiciary in upholding judicial fairness and enhancing efficiency, including formulating the guidelines on the conduct of judges to ensure that judges professionally and independently perform their constitutional responsibility of adjudicating cases in accordance with the law, setting binding judgment standards and legal foundations through precedents, and promoting judicial transparency. Judicial efficiency has been enhanced through judicial system reform, active case management, increased judicial manpower, the extensive use of technology and the optimization of court services. Pointing out that enhancing efficiency while upholding justice is the common wish of judicial peers, he said he was looking forward to in-depth exchanges, mutual learning and experience sharing during the forum.

Noting that justice and efficiency is the goal of judiciary, Huang called for joint efforts to translate the commitment to justice into reality of equity. He also shared his views and opinions on improving the legal system and reducing legal risks through a wealth of examples.

Over 70 representatives from both sides of the Strait, Hong Kong and Macao will conduct in-depth exchanges on such topics as substantive justice and procedural justice, case management, social and legal effects of typical cases, and judges' capacity building and selection system.

As a regular and institutionalized platform for judicial exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, the forum is a biennial event hosted in rotation by the four regions since 2011.