Chongqing - "Successful economic cooperation needs to be supported by a strong legal framework that can provide certainty and resolve disputes effectively and efficiently," said I Gusti Agung Sumanatha, Chairman of Civil Chamber and Justice of the the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, during the 5th China-ASEAN Legal Cooperation Forum on November 1.
The legal framework needs to be constructed based on common understanding and mutual respect, and this forum has become a crucial platform to assess the progress of legal cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Sumanatha added.
China, the fourth-largest source of FDI in the ASEAN region
The 5th China-ASEAN Legal Cooperation Forum witnessed nearly 200 attendees from government departments, universities, the business community, law firms, and various organizations in China and ASEAN countries. The forum aimed to deepen legal cooperation between China and ASEAN further and strengthen the development of the international legal framework.
The China-ASEAN region, with a combined population of 1.8 billion people, has seen remarkable economic growth. The region's aggregate trading volume increased from approximately 588 billion USD in 2018 to 975 billion USD in 2022, marking a 65% growth over five years. China's investment in ASEAN reached 15.4 billion USD, making it the fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the ASEAN region.
According to Sumanatha, trade between China and Indonesia alone reached 124.4 billion USD in 2021, with Indonesia ranking as China's second-largest investment destination in ASEAN after Singapore.
Chin Malin, Secretary of State and Spokesman for the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Cambodia, highlighted the positive impact of BRI, including rapid economic growth, infrastructure development, increased FDI inflow to Cambodia, job creation, and the strengthening of its role as a key trade hub.
Understanding the BRI is based on economic cooperation to create common prosperity. There will be more opportunities between China and ASEAN regions on legal systems in the digital economy and artificial intelligence, exploring innovative economic and trade measures in legal cooperation, building legal rules for the BRI, and deepening judicial cooperation and practical experience.
BRI finds commonalities and synergies to address shared issues
"The China-ASEAN Legal Research Center plays a pivotal role in advancing this initiative, offering crucial support to countries involved in the Belt and Road in addressing shared challenges, considering our diverse social, cultural, economic, and legal systems," Chin stated.
The China-ASEAN Legal Research Center in the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL), the only doctoral training program across the country for the ASEAN senior officials, has impacted the ASEAN countries and other Southeast Asian countries.
Since 2016, the Center has implemented the ASEAN Elite Ph.D. The program training state secretaries, chief justices, government officials, and university professors from ASEAN countries, who were recommended by the Ministry of Justice of Cambodia, the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and the Supreme Court of Indonesia, as well as other judiciary authorities.
Chin also stressed the importance of the Center's research and support in addressing legal cooperation challenges and optimizing legal systems for enhanced connectivity among Belt and Road Initiative countries.
Sumanatha added that the Center's initiatives, including exchanges, studies, and research cooperation, are of significant importance in building a common body of knowledge that supports harmonization and, to some extent, unification of legal frameworks.
"The most significant role played by the China-ASEAN Legal Research Center in supporting China-ASEAN relations is its ability to foster friendships among the legal communities of China and ASEAN countries," Sumanatha further noted.
Sumanatha acknowledged the challenges posed by different legal systems among countries but highlighted that promoting BRI does not necessarily require countries to change their laws. Instead, it seeks to find commonalities and synergies to address shared issues.
The exchanges and studies promoted by the Center will serve as a crucial foundation for further enhancing legal cooperation within the BRI framework in the long run, he emphasized.