China, Asean members eye stronger judicial ties to ease trade disputes
Better judicial cooperation between China and Asean could lead to new ways of resolving economic disputes, forum statement says
China and Asean members have called for a stronger mechanism to resolve trade disputes under their economic pact.
The suggestion came at the close of a two-day forum on justice held at the annual China-Asean Expo in Nanning, Guangxi.
Participants said increasing judicial cooperation would improve political trust at a time when economic ties around the world were deepening.
"[We] share the same tasks in settling disputes, combatting crime and further accelerating economic growth," Zhou Qiang , China's top judge, said in a meeting on the sidelines of the forum on Monday. The forum was attended by five chief justices and dozens of senior judges.
Further exchanges would aid judicial reform efforts at home, help with training officials and improve communication among court authorities in border areas, the statement said.
Andrew Phang Boon Leong, an appeals judge with Singapore's top court, said new ways of resolving disputes could bring about changes in the region's judicial framework. "New methods of international dispute resolution may also be explored as a precursor for the development of a collective regional legal superstructure that may eventually be decoupled from the traditional jurisdictional anchors of national boundaries," Phang said.
Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli said during the opening of the expo that Beijing was willing to discuss the establishment of economic cooperation zones in border areas.
A free-trade pact with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations came into force in 2005 and China is now the bloc's third-largest trading partner, with the value of trade hitting US$443.6 billion last year, up 11 per cent year on year. Beijing hopes to raise the figure to US$500 billion by 2015 and US$1 trillion by 2020.
China invested US$8.6 billion in Asean members last year, a 60.8 per cent year-on-year increase, according to official figures. But China has been criticised for its weak rule of law.
Asean comprises the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
