The 5th Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable was held on Dec 3, with both sides signing two memorandums of understanding (MoU) on continuing judicial education and cooperation on ascertainment of foreign law.
Zhou Qiang, chief justice and president of China's Supreme People's Court (SPC), and Sundaresh Menon, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore, signed the MoUs via video link at the roundtable.
Zhou said the MoUs are important results of the roundtable. The MoU on Cooperation on Information on Foreign Law is the first MoU on ascertainment of foreign law the SPC has inked with another country.
The MoU on Advancing Continuing Judicial Education, signed in 2019, was renewed upon its expiration. It fully reflects the consensus between China and Singapore on the importance and longevity of continuing judicial education cooperation, and will promote further fruitful cooperation between the judge training institutions of the two countries, Zhou said.
Zhou said with an open and inclusive spirit of cooperation and the concept of equality and pragmatism, he believes that judicial exchanges and cooperation between China and Singapore will continue to make new progress and move to a new level.
Menon said the two MoUs signed at the roundtable are landmarks. The Supreme Court of Singapore is honored to be the first partner of the SPC in the area of foreign law ascertainment. The MoU on Cooperation on Information on Foreign Law is a testament to the strong commitment of the top courts of Singapore and China to jointly advance the rule of law and ensure the fair and efficient administration of justice.
The MoU on continuing judicial education reaffirms the mutual commitment of China and Singapore to promote and facilitate cooperation in judge education, Menon said.
The National Judges College and the Singapore Judicial College previously established a fruitful partnership with frequent and meaningful exchanges, and it is expected that with the signing of this MoU, the partnership between the two judicial colleges will achieve new growth, Menon said.
It is expected that the top courts of China and Singapore will continue to strengthen exchanges and engage in more fruitful cooperation on the basis of the two MoUs, Menon added.