The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) leads and participates in a total of four multilateral cooperation mechanisms, namely, the BRICS Heads of Prosecution Services Meeting Mechanism, the China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism, the Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), with details as follows.
1. BRICS Heads of Prosecution Services Meeting Mechanism
The BRICS Heads of Prosecution Services Meeting Mechanism is a multilateral mechanism of international procuratorial cooperation jointly advocated and established by the SPP of the PRC and the Prosecutor General's Office of Russian Federation with the aim of strengthening the effectiveness of cooperation in combating transnational crimes, protecting economic development, and promoting the common prosperity of the economies of emerging countries.
In October 2014, during the 12th Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States held in Uzbekistan, the SPP of the PRC and the Prosecutor General's Office of Russian Federation jointly launched an initiative to establish the BRICS Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism. In November 2015, Cao Jianming, the Prosecutor General of the SPP, led a delegation to Sochi, Russia, for consultations about promoting the establishment of the BRICS Heads of Prosecution Services Meeting. The heads of the procuratorial organs at the conference unanimously agreed to establish the Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism and decided to convene the 2016 BRICS Prosecutor-General Conference in Hainan, China. The conference also adopted the concept of cooperation and its statement among BRICS procuratorial organs.
2. China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism
The China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference is a regional, multilateral mechanism for international procuratorialcooperation, initiated and established by the SPP, with the approval of the Central Government of the PRC. Since its establishment in 2004, the China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference has been committed to enhancing the capacities of procuratorial organs in the region to combat crime, protect people's livelihoods, and maintain stability, and has so far held twelve sessions in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Macao of China, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos ,Brunei and Cambodia. The conference not only serves as an annual mechanism for maintaining high-level dialogue among the Prosecutor Generals of the countries in the region but has also become a regular mechanism for procuratorial organs of these countries in the region to discuss, formulate, and coordinate policies to address and combat transnational crimes in response to the new developments in the region's economic and social landscape.
After years of development, the operation of the China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism has gradually matured. The annual conference's theme is negotiated by the host country with other participating parties. The conference is structured to include rotating speeches by the heads of each delegation during plenary sessions and bilateral talks between delegations. Typically, a joint statement is issued at the end of the conference, announcing the achievements of the conference or consensus reached on specific issues.
As a pivotal participant in this cooperation mechanism, China has hosted the first (2004 in Kunming, Yunnan Province,) ,fourth conference (2007 in Macao), ninth conference (2015 in Nanning). In addition to the Prosecutor General of the SPP of PRC and the Prosecutor Generals of the ASEAN Member States, the heads of the Procuratorialand anti-corruption organs of Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the Prosecutor Generals from certain provinces, directly administered cities, and autonomous regions in China are invited to attend the conference annually.
The China-ASEAN Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism has been incorporated into the overall framework of China-ASEAN cooperation, which has advanced the development of national judicial diplomacy as a whole and promoted the scientific development of procuratorial work. High-level visits and dialogues between China and ASEAN's procuratorial organs continue to deepen, and the leaders of the procuratorial organs of the two sides exchange views on major issues such as the situation of regional political and economic development, and regional security and stability in a timely manner, facilitating in-depth discussion to enhance cooperation mechanisms and promote pragmatic cooperation. The channels of cooperation between the two sides have also been gradually broadened, with more active personnel exchanges, academic exchanges, and material assistance, also with further improvement of the mechanisms for judicial assistance and direct cooperation between procuratorial organs in border areas. Both sides have carried out convenient, flexible, and efficient judicial assistance work in such aspects as simplifying the approval procedures for judicial assistance cases, sending investigative teams to collect evidence in each other's territories, and arranging for witnesses to testify in each other's jurisdictions, which has significantly contributed to the effective collaboration on multiple transnational criminal cases.
3. Prosecutor-General Conference Mechanism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States
The Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States is a regional, multilateral mechanism for procuratorial cooperation, initiated and established by the SPP, with the approval of the Central Government of the PRC. It is also one of the earliest specialized mechanisms to form and develop within the framework of the SCO. Since its establishment in 2002, the Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States has been committed to combating the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, as well as other transnational crimes and illegal activities in the region, playing a crucial role in promoting peace and stability in the region. The Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States is held annually in rotation among the member states, and by the end of 2023, it had convened twenty-one sessions.
After years of development, the operational mechanism of the Conference has become increasingly mature. The annual conference's theme is negotiated by the host country with other participating parties, covering various fields such as politics, economy, and people's livelihood. Each conference issues conference minutes, announcing the achievements of the conference and the consensus reached in relevant areas.
As the initiator and important participant of the Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States, the SPP of PRC hosted the first, the eighth and the twenty-first conferences in Shanghai, Xiamen and Xi'an, respectively. In addition to the Prosecutor Generals from the SCO State Members and Observer States, the Prosecutor General of the procuratorates of certain provinces, directly administered cities, and autonomous regions in China are also invited to attend the conference.
China's procuratorial organs have engaged in fruitful cooperation with the procuratorial organs of the SCO Member States through this mechanism. The procuratorial organs of the Member States have agreed to closely collaborate in combating the "three forces", actively conduct judicial assistance in criminal cases and conduct in-depth research on streamlining judicial assistance procedures, explore the development of a direct cooperation mechanism among the procuratorialorgans in border areas of the Member States, and strengthen practical cooperation in the recovery, confiscation, and return of the proceeds of crime.
The practice has proven that the Prosecutor-General Conference of the SCO Member States has played a positive role in implementing the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, maintaining the overall situation of national development and stability, and improving the efficiency of legal assistance. It has not only contributed to the continuous development and improvement of judicial diplomacy within the SCO framework but also facilitated the scientific development of procuratorial work.
4. International Association of Prosecutors
The IAP was established in June 1995 at its inaugural conference held in Budapest in September 1996. One of the important reasons for its establishment was the increasing prevalence of transnational crimes, especially drug trafficking, money laundering, and fraud. The establishment of IAP is conducive to the promotion of rapid and efficient international collaboration among prosecutors worldwide in areas such as judicial assistance and asset recovery, working together to curb cross-border crimes. The IAP is a non-governmental, non-political organization, serving as the first and only global association of prosecutors. Currently, it has 171 organizational members and numerous individual members.
The IAP is dedicated to raising standards of professional conduct and ethics for prosecutors worldwide, promoting the rule of law, fairness, impartiality, and respect for human rights, and improving international cooperation to combat crime. It aims to become a global authority in criminal prosecution and earn an international reputation for providing advice and guidance on public prosecution.
The IAP is committed to coordinating prosecutors worldwide in combating international organized crime and other transnational crimes including:
1. promoting international cooperation in gathering and providing evidence, in tracking, seizing, and forfeiting the proceeds of serious crime, and in the prosecution of fugitive criminal;
2. promoting speed and efficiency in such international cooperation;
3. promoting measures for the elimination of corruption in public administration;
4. promoting the professional interests of prosecutors;
5. promoting good relations among prosecutors from different countries and between prosecutors and prosecution agencies;
6. facilitating the exchange and dissemination among prosecutors of information, expertise, and experience, and, to that end, encouraging the use of information technology;
7. promoting the effective, fair, impartial and efficient prosecution of criminal offenses;
8. promoting highs standards and principles in the administration of criminal justice, in support of the rule of law, and
9. promoting those standards and principles which are generally internationally as necessary for the proper and independent prosecution of offenses.
The SPP is a founding member of the IAP. In 1998, the SPP hosted the Executive Committee meeting of the IAP. In 1999 the SPP hosted the fourth Annual Conference of the IAP. In 2017, the SPP hosted the twenty-second Annual Conference of the IAP. Since its establishment, the IAP has held an annual conference every year, totaling twenty-eight so far. In addition, the IAP holds regional conferences annually in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Delegations from China's procuratorial organs have attended both the annual and regional conferences.
