• Today: October 15, 2026

Chief justice attends regional forum

Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong attended the 4th ASEAN-China Justice Forum held from October 9-12 in Da Nang, Viet Nam, to further strengthen and deepen bilateral and multilateral judicial cooperation between the Judiciaries of ASEAN member states and the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China.

The forum also contributed to advancing the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, promoting regional economic integration.

Hosted by the Supreme People’s Court of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, it marked the first time the forum was held outside of China and hosted by an ASEAN member state.

The forum provided a platform for judiciaries from ASEAN member states and China to share best practices and practical experiences in judicial reform, cross-border criminal, civil, and commercial disputes, the development of electronic courts, and the application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial proceedings.

The theme of the forum was ‘Strengthening regional judicial cooperation in the context of international integration and the digital era’.

Registrar Muhammad Marzuqi bin Sabtu and Magistrate ‘Abdul Azim bin Othman co-presented a paper on Brunei Darussalam’s approach to ‘Cooperation in resolving cross-border criminal, civil, and commercial disputes in the digital era’.

On the sidelines of the conference, Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong held bilateral meetings with Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of Viet Nam Nguyen Van Quang and Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China Zhang Jun.

Acting Chief Registrar Hajah Hazarena binti POKSJ DP Haji Hurairah and officers from the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam were also in attendance.

The Joint Statement of the 4th ASEAN-China Justice Forum was adopted at the forum in Da Nang, Viet Nam on October 10.

The consensus reached was that participating parties appreciated the significance and importance of convening the forum in strengthening cooperation amongst the participating supreme courts, maintaining regional peace, stability, and prosperity, and contributing positively to building a closer ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The forum agreed that as regional economic and trade exchanges become increasingly extensive, judicial cooperation plays an increasingly important role in establishing a sound legal foundation, the administration of justice, and a stable and transparent environment for collaboration.

The 4th ASEAN-China Justice Forum serves as a high-level mechanism for judicial dialogue and cooperation among participating supreme courts, aimed at strengthening friendly relations, fostering mutual understanding, and sharing experiences to enhance the effectiveness of professional judicial work.

Participants noted that the forum topics were pertinent to resolving criminal, civil, and commercial cases in the digital era.

The forum agreed to continue strengthening cooperation and information exchange in these fields, while exploring new approaches to ensure practical efficacy aligned with domestic legislation and applicable international treaties.

The forum also welcomed the progress and best practices adopted by participating judiciaries in establishing electronic courts, developing smart court systems, and applying AI, which present opportunities to modernise the judiciary, enhance transparency, and facilitate access to justice for the public and commercial enterprises.

Participating courts agreed on the importance of sustaining exchanges in these domains while proactively addressing future developments. – James Kon

Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong during the forum. PHOTO: SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM


SOURCE/AUTHOR : BORNEO BULLETIN/JAMES KON

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