On the afternoon of Oct 26, the Maritime Silk Road (Quanzhou) International Forum on Judicial Cooperation (2023) came to a close. Zhang Jun, chief justice of the People's Republic of China and president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), attended and addressed the closing ceremony.

On behalf of the SPC, Zhang extended his warm congratulations on the successful hosting of the forum. He said it is a high-level judicial forum of vital importance convened in the context of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Upholding the Silk Road spirit and embracing the common vision, the participants had sincere exchanges for common development focusing on the theme of the forum, and shared with and inspired each other on legal issues related to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. This forum will definitely arouse new breakthroughs in judicial exchanges and cooperation among the countries.

"The successful convening of the forum signifies a new chapter of judicial exchanges and cooperation among the Belt and Road countries." Zhang pointed out that this forum enhances the desire for exchanges. The participants conducted productive dialogues focusing on the theme of the forum and achieved fruitful results, elevating judicial exchanges among the Belt and Road countries to a new height. This forum strengthens friendship for cooperation. The participants respected and understood each other, pursued coordinated development through exchanges of ideas and drew on beneficial experiences through mutual learning, laying a solid foundation for more advanced judicial cooperation in the future. This forum broadens the path of development. It brings all the participants closer together, further invigorates the millennia-old "Maritime Silk Road", and will surely make the path of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefits for all the parties broader and broader. We look forward to working with all parties to forge ahead hand in hand with sincerity and unity to contribute judicial strength to the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and to a more brilliant and prosperous future.

The closing ceremony was also addressed by Gibuma Gibbs Salika, chief justice of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea; Satiu Simativa Perese, chief justice of the Independent State of Samoa; Gladys María Gutiérrez Alvarado, president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; and Huang Haikun, member of the Standing Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee.

The closing ceremony was presided over by Yang Wanming, justice of the second rank and vice-president of the SPC, and attended by representatives from home and abroad.