China and ASEAN countries vowed to deepen legal and governance cooperation as they confront shared regional and global challenges, according to participants at the seventh China-ASEAN Legal Cooperation Forum in the southwestern city of Chongqing.
The three-day forum, which concluded on Saturday, brought together more than 140 legal experts and practitioners from China, ASEAN member states and international organizations.
Discussions focused on trade facilitation, intellectual property protection, law enforcement collaboration and judicial cooperation, with the aim of advancing a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
"At the moment, most of the countries, not just Cambodia, but many other countries in the region, are the victims of transnational crime, particularly human trafficking, drug smuggling, financial fraud, and online scams. So the best way to address the problem is to work together hand in hand, strengthen legal cooperation in order to combat those [crimes], because this is not the issue of one particular state, but they are issues of the region, issues of the globe," said Chin Malin, vice president of Cambodia's Legislative and Judicial Commission.
Delegates at the forum pledged to cultivate legal talent in China and ASEAN countries, strengthen cooperation between universities and research institutions, and provide intellectual support for legal and governance cooperation.
"Southwest University of Political Science and Law has been cultivating Chinese students proficient in ASEAN languages and laws, while also providing doctoral education for young talents from ASEAN's judicial practice institutions and institutions of higher education. To date, it has trained more than 90 doctoral students, among whom 19 are officials at or above the deputy minister level," said Lin Wei, president of Southwest University of Political Science and Law.
"We have many other [colleagues], not just only me. And in Ministry of Justice, we have four or five high-rank officials [who already] completed PhD programs in Chongqing, in SWUPL, the Southwest University of Political Science and Law. With this good cooperation, every year we send our official to join the trainings, short-term, long-term and the key program study, particularly PhD Program. So this cooperation also help promote the capacity-building programs of our officials, and that also help promote the legal and judicial reform in Cambodia through human resources development," said Chin Malin.
Delegates said their countries would continue to uphold the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and work together to build a stable and prosperous region under the rule of law.
China, ASEAN pledge closer legal cooperation to address regional challenges
China, ASEAN pledge closer legal cooperation to address regional challenges
