Singapore hosts the Second Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable

31 August 2018 – Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and the President and Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court (“SPC”) of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Zhou Qiang, co-chaired the Second Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable (2^nd Singapore-China Roundtable) in Singapore today.

2. Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and an eight-member delegation from SPC are in Singapore on the invitation of Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

2^nd Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable Progressed the Cooperation between the Singapore and Chinese Judiciaries to a Higher Level

3. The Singapore-China Roundtable is a key platform for legal and judicial cooperation between both countries, and is the first such platform between China and an Asian country. Legal and judicial cooperation has also become one of the main areas of cooperation between Singapore and China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

4. The 2^nd Singapore-China Roundtable builds on the successful inaugural Roundtable held in Beijing last year. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, in his welcome remarks at the 2^nd Roundtable, said,

“At the inaugural Singapore-China Roundtable last year, I spoke about how the establishment of this dialogue was an important milestone in the growing relationship between our two courts, and it is my hope that we will build on the good work we did last year, and take the friendship between our two courts to the next level.”

5. Judges from the Supreme Court of Singapore and the SPC exchanged insights and perspectives on four topics at the 2^nd Singapore-China Roundtable:

• the Courts and Alternative Dispute Resolution, with a focus on the suite of dispute resolution options (litigation, arbitration, and mediation) available to litigants today, and how they interact within the overall dispute resolution framework;
• Development of a Legal Infrastructure to Support the Belt and Road Initiative, including the establishment of a working group consisting of officials from the Supreme Court of Singapore and the SPC to bring some of the specific ideas discussed at the 2nd Singapore-China Roundtable forward;
• Court Technology, with the focus on how the courts could harness the prowess of technology to improve court efficiency and to enhance access to justice; and
• Development of International Commercial Law, with an emphasis on promoting the convergence of commercial law in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world.

6. In tandem with the 2^nd Singapore-China Roundtable, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon held a bilateral meeting with Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and hosted him to dinner. At the bilateral meeting, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Chief Justice Zhou Qiang reaffirmed the close, deep and abiding friendship between Singapore and China, as well as between the Supreme Court of Singapore and SPC. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Chief Justice Zhou Qiang had a fruitful discussion on a range of topics which concern both courts, and the ways in which the Supreme Court of Singapore and SPC can cooperate in various areas of common interest to the mutual benefit of the two courts and the two countries.

Singapore and Chinese Judiciaries Signed a Memorandum of Guidance on the Recognition and Enforcement of Money Judgments in Commercial Cases

7. As a testament to the already substantial, but rapidly deepening cooperation between the two courts, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Chief Justice Zhou Qiang signed a Memorandum of Guidance (“MOG”) on the recognition and enforcement of money judgments in commercial cases. The MOG would help to facilitate and promote mutual understanding of the laws and judicial processes between the Supreme Court of Singapore and SPC, with a view towards smoothening the process and providing guidance for litigants on the applicable laws and regulations that govern the enforcement of foreign judgments in Singapore and China. This will enhance business confidence by providing greater legal support for companies in both our countries, and enhance our cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

SUPREME COURT

31 AUGUST 2018