Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, met with Manoj Kumar Sharma, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal, and his delegation in Beijing on Sept 23.

Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court of China, meets with Manoj Kumar Sharma, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal, in Beijing on Sept 23. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Zhang welcomed Sharma and his delegation to China. He said that China and Nepal, linked by mountains and rivers and bound by a shared future, have treated each other with mutual respect and equality and pursued mutually beneficial cooperation, setting an example of friendly coexistence between countries with different social systems and of different sizes. The top courts of China and Nepal have maintained friendly exchanges over the years, Zhang said, adding that this visit would further deepen judicial exchanges and cooperation between the two countries and contribute to the development of their judicial systems.

Zhang briefed the delegation on China's efforts to advance the rule of law and the work of Chinese courts. He said that Chinese courts have made positive progress in addressing challenges such as a large caseload and limited judicial personnel, as well as the difficulties in substantively resolving disputes. Their efforts included promoting social governance, strengthening adjudication management, and leveraging technology to enhance judicial efficiency, according to Zhang.

China’s SPC stands ready to work with the Nepalese side to further deepen exchanges and mutual learning between the judicial authorities of the two countries and strengthen the legal foundation for China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity, he added.

Sharma thanked Zhang for the meeting. He said the talks were cordial, friendly, practical and productive, further enhancing mutual understanding and deepening friendship between the two sides. He expressed hope that the meeting would serve as an opportunity to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen judicial cooperation, and carry out practical cooperation in areas including judge training and the development of digital courts, so as to bring greater benefits to the people of both countries.

Roshan Khanal, chargé d'affaires of the embassy of Nepal in China, as well as representatives from the China Law Society and the supreme courts of China and Nepal, attended the meeting.