A China-Germany symposium on judicial affairs and an event marking the fifth anniversary of a judge exchange program between the two countries was held in Beijing on Dec 9. [Photo by Sun Ruofeng]

Chinese and German judicial organs should enhance exchange and deepen cooperation to jointly promote the rule of law, vowed Zhou Qiang, president of China’s highest court.

On Dec 9, a China-Germany symposium on judicial affairs and an event marking the fifth anniversary of a judge exchange program between the two countries was held in Beijing. Zhou attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

China and Germany signed a law exchange and cooperation agreement in 2000, which ushered in a state-level dialog mechanism on rule of law and laid a good foundation for enhanced connection, exchange and friendship between the two countries in the law field, Zhou explained.

In 2010, under the framework of the China-Germany law cooperation program, a judge exchange sub-program was initiated and since then judicial exchange has expanded to local courts in the two countries. The joint effort has paid off in terms of enhancing understanding and friendship between Chinese and German judges and improving the judicial capacities of both countries, Zhou noted.

The judicial system plays an indispensable role in promoting social fairness and justice, Zhou said. He added that the Chinese top court is actively and prudently advancing a reform of the country’s judicial system, with achievements already made in some key areas.