Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court, has underlined the critical role of the high-quality education and training of judges in advancing high-quality judicial work, emphasizing the integrated development of political integrity, professional competence, and work ethic in judge training. 

Zhang made the remarks when addressing the 9th China-Singapore Legal and Judicial Roundtable, which was held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 18, 2025. In his speech, he outlined a holistic approach to developing a highly competent judiciary capable of supporting high-quality adjudication work.

Zhang said that in recent years, Chinese courts have upheld the core value of the rule of law, treating the education and training of judges as a foundational, strategic initiative for building a highly competent judiciary. 

The 9th China-Singapore Legal and Judicial Roundtable is held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 18, 2025. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Efforts have been made to advance the scientific, systematic, and standardized development of judicial training programs in order to cultivate a team of judges who are strong in political integrity, professional competence, sense of responsibility, discipline, and work ethic, he said.

Zhang underlined the need to enhance judges' political integrity and professional capabilities through problem-solving and practice-oriented methodologies.

The education and training of judges in China have increasingly integrated elements such as ideological conviction, core socialist values, and advanced socialist culture into judicial training programs. This approach ensures that judicial work aligns more closely with the Party's principles, meeting the developmental needs of the nation and the expectations of the people, Zhang said, adding that judges are guided to uphold the principles of the rule of law, foster a deep commitment to serving the public, and maintain strict judicial impartiality and integrity.

He said that in support of China's modernization efforts, the training programs are continually refined to address the challenges hindering high-quality development. Judges are required to integrate high-quality development with high-level security in their judicial practices, while coordinating both domestic and foreign-related rule of law in judicial work, he said.

Zhang emphasized the importance of combining theoretical knowledge with practical application, saying that by incorporating China's rich legal traditions and diverse teaching methods, the training programs aim to enhance judges' theoretical thinking and practical problem-solving skills to ensure that training is both targeted and effective.

Against the backdrop of digital and intelligent transformation across all sectors of society, Chinese courts are enhancing the quality and efficiency of educating judges through technological means, he said, citing internet platforms and case databases providing valuable resources for legal reference and guidance and promoting unified application of the law. 

Chinese courts are willing to collaborate with Singaporean courts to jointly study significant legal issues related to the development and governance of artificial intelligence, learning from each other about the application of information technology and artificial intelligence in assisting judicial proceedings and training judges, he said.

He said Chinese courts have been committed to strengthening the cultivation of legal talent specializing in foreign-related matters by conducting training programs on creating a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment and promoting institutional opening-up through the alignment of judicial rules. 

The training programs offer courses on foreign-related commercial and maritime adjudication practices, international commercial dispute resolution, and the study and application of international law, with a view to cultivating legal professionals with an international perspective, a thorough understanding of international rules, and the ability to handle foreign-related legal affairs effectively, thereby better serving the country’s high-standard opening-up, he added.

Zhang expressed the willingness of Chinese courts to work with their Singaporean counterparts to further expand exchange and cooperation between judicial professionals, enhance judges' capabilities in handling foreign-related cases and jointly uphold the multilateral trading system and international rule of law.