Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court of China, holds an online meeting with Sundaresh Menon, chief justice of Singapore, on Oct 15. [Photo/court.gov.cn] 

Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, held an online meeting with Sundaresh Menon, chief justice of Singapore, on Oct 15.

Zhang thanked Menon, who will retire in February 2027, for his longstanding efforts to promote judicial exchanges and cooperation between China and Singapore. He noted that the two countries are friendly neighbors and important cooperation partners, setting an example of mutually-beneficial cooperation and common development. 

He said that the visit of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to China and the exchange of congratulatory messages between the presidents of both countries last year, which marked the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, have provided strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral relations.

Zhang briefed Menon on judicial exchanges and cooperation between the two countries and the work of Chinese courts. He noted that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the dialogue mechanism between the chief justices of the two countries. Over the past decade, the supreme courts of both countries have worked together to advance practical cooperation across multiple areas under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, achieving tangible results.

He said Chinese courts have strengthened adjudication management and leveraged technology to address challenges such as heavy caseloads and the difficulty of resolving disputes at their root, while making steady progress in adjudication and enforcement.

Zhang expressed hope that the two supreme courts would maintain the positive momentum in their exchanges, deepen bilateral judicial cooperation and elevate it to a higher level, providing stronger judicial support for the sustained and steady development of China-Singapore relations.

Menon commended the achievements in judicial cooperation between Singapore and China. He said that strong political mutual trust, fruitful economic and trade cooperation, and close people-to-people exchanges have laid a solid foundation for judicial cooperation between the two countries.

He noted that over the past decade, the two judiciaries have strengthened the ties through high-level mutual visits, roundtable meetings and bilateral dialogues, achieving fruitful results. He expressed hope that the two sides would build on their sound foundation of cooperation, enhance mutual learning and understanding, and advance judicial exchanges and cooperation to a new level.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on topics such as artificial intelligence, juvenile justice and cross-border insolvency.

Sushil Sukumaran Nair, a justice of the Court of Appeal and chief justice-designate of Singapore, See Kee Oon, a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, Gao Xiaoli, vice-president of the SPC of China, and officials from relevant departments of the two supreme courts also attended the meeting.