Zhang Jun, chief justice of China and president of China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC), led a delegation to visit Vietnam from Nov 27 to 30. During the visit, Zhang met with Nguyen Van Quang, president of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam; Bui Van Khang, deputy secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee and chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee; and Chu Le Huong, president of the Lang Son Provincial People’s Court. He also attended the second seminar for courts of provinces in the China-Vietnam border areas.

Zhang Jun, chief justice of China and president of China’s Supreme People’s Court, leads a delegation to visit Vietnam and meets with Nguyen Van Quang, president of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

During his meeting with Nguyen Van Quang, Zhang said that China and Vietnam are friendly socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the top leaders of both parties and countries, bilateral relations have maintained positive momentum, he added. 

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam diplomatic ties and the Year of China-Vietnam People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges, Zhang said that courts at various levels have engaged in close exchange visits, yielding substantial outcomes. 

He noted that the fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee has set out the top-level design and strategic roadmap for China’s development in the next five years, demonstrating the country’s vision for win-win cooperation with other countries. Chinese courts stand ready to work together with their Vietnamese counterparts to uphold the international rule of law, safeguard fairness and justice, promote implementation of the four major global initiatives proposed by China in the law-based governance field, and deepen practical cooperation so as to contribute to improving people’s well-being worldwide and promoting global peace and development, Zhang added. 

Quang said that the special relationship between Vietnam and China has reached new heights, achieving comprehensive，significant and landmark progress across various fields. Cooperation between the two countries’ courts is an important component of the overall relations between the two parties and two countries, he said. 

He expressed hope that the friendly cooperative relationship between the two judiciaries would continue to deepen, contributing more to safeguarding fairness and justice in both countries, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the two peoples, and supporting the sustained development of bilateral relations.

Both sides engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics of shared interest, including digital court construction, the role of courts in national governance, deepening judicial reform, and training and education of judges.

Zhang Jun meets with Bui Van Khang, deputy secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee and chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

During meetings with Bui Van Khang and Chu Le Huong, Zhang reviewed the practical measures and achievements in judicial exchanges and cooperation between courts of the two countries, especially those of border provinces, in recent years. He expressed the hope to further deepen mutual exchanges and learning, jointly opening a new chapter in judicial exchanges and cooperation among courts in border provinces, and contributing more judicial strength to advancing the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future, as well as to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Khang and Huong said that Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces, as important provinces in northern Vietnam, boast unique natural and cultural resources. They expressed hope that the meeting will become a new starting point for judicial cooperation between border provinces of the two countries, opening new avenues for bilateral friendship and common development.

In his address at the opening ceremony of the seminar, Zhang said that the seminar provides a solid platform for subnational judicial cooperation between the two countries. He noted that the seminar is a continuation of the friendship and deepened cooperation between the judicial communities of China and Vietnam and serves as a vivid example of judicial support for the development of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future. 

He called for strengthening judicial mutual trust, deepening exchanges with an open mindset, expanding cooperation across a broader range of areas, and turning cooperation initiatives into concrete actions and cooperation consensus into practical outcomes, so as to better serve overall development and benefit the people of both countries.

Zhang Jun delivers remarks at the opening ceremony of the second seminar for courts of provinces in the China-Vietnam border areas. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Quang said in his remarks that the increasingly complex and unpredictable landscape of cross-border and transnational crimes requires courts in both countries to strengthen coordination more than ever. He described the seminar as a milestone in advancing bilateral judicial cooperation and expressed confidence that it would bring new impetus to the future development of China-Vietnam relations.

Participants reviewed the cooperation between courts in the two countries’ border provinces and held in-depth discussions on combating cross-border smuggling and human trafficking, diversified dispute resolution, and mutual assistance in evidence collection for civil and commercial cases.

Following the seminar, Zhang and Quang signed the joint statement of the second seminar for courts of provinces in the China-Vietnam border areas.

The joint statement of the second seminar for courts of provinces in the China-Vietnam border areas is adopted. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

SPC Vice-President Li Yong, President of the Guangxi High People’s Court Huang Hailong, and President of the Yunnan High People’s Court Zhang Hongwei attended the related activities. Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei was also present.