China and UK join hands in judicial workshops

A professional workshop for solving commercial disputes between China and the UK is being brewed up, an official from China's top court said on Wednesday.

Based on a good cooperation in criminal cases between judges from China and the Britain, which has been developing since 2013, the two countries can build up a study team consisting of legal specialists to have brainstorms on commercial disputes, said He Zhonglin, director of international cooperation department at the Supreme People's Court.

He provided the suggestion during the third UK-China Judicial Roundtable, held in Beijing.

"We can also communicate more on judicial reforms, how to establish or operate e-courts and judge education, asking judicial workers from the two countries to share work experience and learn each other," He said.

"More talks will contribute to our judicial work and improve understating of us."

The judicial roundtable was established between the two countries in 2014, and the annual conference is held by China and the UK in rotation.

This year, the topic is "the justice under the new century", and judges from the two countries held discussions on how to put e-courts into practice and how to increase cooperation in the judicial system.

E-court often refers to a new-style court that can help litigants make a lawsuit, following his or her case and provide related materials online.

China and the UK have cooperated in some other judicial industries before. From 1998 to 2012, a judge educational exchange was conducted in the two countries.

"The exchange gave six young Chinese judges every year to study one-year study in London, which helped many of them become mainstays in Chinese courts," He said.

As one of the judges who went to the Britain to study, He added that the project has been the longest overseas cooperative activity so far.

Increasing judicial cooperation has been a hot issue among Chinese courts. By now, the top court has established friendly relationships with judicial institutions of more than 130 countries and 20 international or regional organizations.

The top justice body organized nearly 1,000 judicial delegations to visit other countries to communicate amongst each other. China has also received hundreds of visiting groups over the past 30 years.