At the invitation of the presidents of the supreme courts of Hungary and Italy, Deng Xiuming, executive vice-president of China’s Supreme People's Court (SPC), led a delegation to Hungary and Italy from June 15 to 22. 

In Hungary, Deng met with András Zsolt Varga, president of the Curia of Hungary. The two parties held in-depth discussions around key issues such as functions of the supreme courts, Hungary's limited precedent system and China's case guidance system, the application of digital technology and artificial intelligence in judicial processes, and the advancement of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Deng also gave an overview on China’s efforts in advancing the rule of law and its traditional legal culture, measures taken by the SPC to ensure the uniform application of law, and the structure and operations of Chinese courts.

The delegation also visited the Budapest-Capital Regional Court of Appeal, the Hungarian Academy of Justice, and the Office of the Prosecutor General, and held a roundtable discussion with Curia judges.

While in Italy, Deng met with Margherita Cassano, president of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation. They discussed legal traditions of both countries, the functions, jurisdiction, and institutional setup of the supreme courts, latest developments in judicial practice, as well as the compilation of cases and construction of case databases.

The delegation visited the Italian Constitutional Court, where they met the court’s president, Giovanni Amoroso. The delegation also visited the judicial affairs office of the presidency of the Italian Republic, and exchanged views with the presidents of the Milan Court of Appeal and Milan Court of First Instance on digitalization of litigation procedures and mediation mechanisms.

The delegation included Zheng Qing, president of the Liaoning High People’s Court, as well as representatives from the SPC and Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court. Gong Tao, Chinese ambassador to Hungary, and Jia Guide, Chinese ambassador to Italy, were present at relevant activities.