The China-ASEAN Justice Forum was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the people's Republic of China from September 16 to 17 2014. H.E. Mr. Zhou Qiang, President and Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic Of China, H E. Mr. Dato Kifrawi Kifli, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalem, Hon. Mr. CHIV Keng, Vice President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Hon. Mr. I Gusti Agung Sumanatha Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E Mr. Khamphane Sitthidampha, President of the People's Supreme Court of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, H.E Mr. Tun Arifin bin Zakaria, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia, Hon. Mr. Aung Zaw Thein, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H E Mr. Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore, Hon. Mr. Veerapol Tungsuwan, Vice President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand, and Hon. Mr. Tuong Duy Luong, Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme people's Court of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam participated in the forum.
The Forum was hosted by China, and was conducted in a pragmatic, friendly and constructive atmosphere. After extensive and in-depth exchange of views by the participants on topics of Judicial Reform and Improvement of Investment Environment”, “Judicial Training and china-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) Development", and “Diversified Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and Regional Economic Prosperity, a consensus was reaffirmed and declared as follows:
1. The global trends toward multi-polarity and economic globalization are deepening Cultural diversity is increasing and an information society is fast emerging. Strategic partnership between China and ASEAN is being strengthened and common interests steadily expanding. Against such a background, increasing judicial exchanges and cooperation within the region and joint efforts to build a mutually beneficial legal environment will contribute to the upgrading of china-ASEAN FTA. Improved mutual political trust, and maintenance of lasting peace, stability and development of the region.
2. The Supreme Courts of China and ASEAN countries, when carrying out judicial exchanges and cooperation, should be guided by the concept of regional cooperation featuring openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and concord, observe principles in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, abide by agreements, MOUs and other cooperation documents between China and ASEAN, and adhere to relevant international laws. treaties and conventions.
3. It is necessary for the Supreme Courts of China and ASEAN countries to deepen judicial reforms so as to improve their judicial systems, provide legal support for a liberalized, facilitated, transparent and competitive investment mechanism, and create a free, equal and fair legal environment for the FTA. For this purpose, the countries should strengthen experience and information sharing on judicial reform to enhance the region's overall judicial performance
4. The Supreme Courts of China and ASEAN countries should strive, through judicial education, to improve judges' ability to accurately apply laws implementing international trade and investment arrangements. They should conduct extensive exchanges and cooperation in judicial training, including joint planning, workshops, forums, seminars, and mutual Visits.
5. The Supreme Courts of China and ASEAN countries should, to the extent permitted by domestic laws, each develop mechanisms of dispute resolution that connect judicial methods and ADR, support diversified approaches to resolution of FTA-related disputes, and promote regional prosperity and development.
6. The Supreme Courts of China and ASEAN countries should support and guide cooperation among local courts in border areas between China and certain ASEAN members. and encourage all kinds of exchange and cooperation on topics of common interests between academics and the legal communities of the two sides.
7. Participants agreed on continued efforts to develop a long-term mechanism for regional judicial exchange and cooperation based on domestic laws and relevant international laws, treaties and conventions, so as to better safeguard and serve the strategic mutual trust and good-neighborly relationship between China and ASEAN countries.
This statement written in Chinese and English is adopted on September 17, 2014 in Nanning, China.