The new government of the Republic of Korea, it is hoped, will attach great importance to the relevant major concerns of China and take tangible actions to push for the healthy, stable development of bilateral ties, President Xi Jinping told the newly elected ROK President Moon Jae-in during a phone call on Thursday. Moon said he fully understands China's major concerns, according to an official release of the Foreign Ministry. Although the release did not elaborate on the major concerns, observers noted that the call was made as Washington and Seoul deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the ROK, a move that has angered Beijing and chilled China-ROK ties. Moon said the new ROK government will proactively communicate with China over this and work hard to seek a proper solution. The call was made one day after Xi sent a congratulatory message to Moon. Xi and Moon have agreed to keep in contact and meet at an early date. Speaking of bilateral ties, Xi said achieving a better development of China-ROK ties serves the common interests of our two peoples and is conducive to the peace, stability and development of the region. Both sides should bear in mind their original goals set at the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, and pay respect to the major concerns and rightful interests of each other, Xi said. Xi said both countries should work hard to seek common ground, eliminate differences and properly tackle their disagreements. China and the ROK are neighbors and important countries in the region, and the bilateral relationship, since its establishment 25 years ago, has witnessed great achievements, which deserve being cherished, Xi said. Moon said he agrees with Xi's comments on the ties, and Seoul attaches great importance to them. Seoul is ready to work with Beijing to advance the pragmatic strategic cooperative partnership, Moon said. On the Korean Peninsula situation, Xi said China has been upholding the idea of achieving the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula, championing peninsula peace and stability, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultations. Moon said Seoul is ready to work with Beijing and achieve the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula by resuming the Six-Party Talks at an early date. The ROK endorses the Belt and Road Initiative and expects it to bring greater development and prosperity to countries and regions along the routes, including China and the ROK, Moon added. During the call, Xi also expressed his deep remorse at the deaths of 11 children, from both countries, who perished in a traffic accident on Tuesday in Weihai, Shandong province. Twelve people, including five ROK kindergarten pupils and six Chinese pupils, died when a school bus crashed and then burst into flames as it traveled through a tunnel in the coastal city in northern China. Xi requested Moon to convey his condolences to the parents of the dead ROK children. Moon said he appreciated Xi's condolences and the Chinese government for taking swift action to properly tackle the aftermath of the accident. Contact the writer at [email protected]custom made rubber braceletspersonalised rubber wristbandsbracelet maker onlineyouth wristbandscustom fidget spinnerscheap custom wristbandsmake your own rubber bracelet
Judges at the Supreme People's Court's First Circuit Court in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, hear its first case, in 2015.[Photo/Xinhua] In the past five years, the nation's judicial system has been overhauled to provide a more efficient and responsive service, as Cao Yin reports. Since 2012, when the top leadership spoke of the need to improve the nation's courts, a number of measures have been taken to uphold the rule of law and improve the quality of hearings. For example, special courts have been established in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province to hear the rising number of disputes involving intellectual property rights, while proceedings have been improved and speeded up by the simplification of many court procedures and the introduction of technology. Now, litigants can file lawsuits online, and the court must provide feedback and a decision on whether the case will be accepted within a day of the application being submitted. In other words, initiating a lawsuit has become much easier. The process of taking a neighbor to court, or appealing decisions made by government departments - which previously attracted large numbers of complaints - has also changed a lot. Under the reforms, government departments are not allowed to interfere in case hearings, while related officials must attend trials to resolve problems. Moreover, courts have been established to handle administrative disputes citywide. For instance, Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court can hear cases brought against government bodies from any district across the capital, a move designed to prevent interference by officials from the districts under scrutiny. As the new courts and procedures have been rolled out, the nation's judges have witnessed the changes and have become part of the reform process. To improve the quality and professionalism of hearings, the number of judges has been reduced, and the judiciary is now classified into three distinct branches. The number of judges who have the right to hand down verdicts has been reduced, while a number of former judges have become judicial assistants responsible for providing case materials and evidence to the judges, or have been reclassified as court clerks. There were two rounds of selection, and eventually 120,000 of the nation's 210,000 judicial officers were named as judges. So what do China's judges think about the reform, and what have they experienced during the past five years? China's Daily's Cao Yin spoke with five members of the judiciary to discover what they think of the reform.
