The 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference is held in Singapore from Oct 28 to 30.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, leads a Chinese delegation attending the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, has called for procuratorial authorities in China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase exchanges and cooperation in an effort to combat financial crimes and safeguard financial security.
Ying made the remarks in a keynote speech delivered at the opening of the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference, which was held from Oct 28 to 30 in Singapore. The event was organized by Attorney General's Chambers of Singapore under the theme of "Fostering Cooperation on Combating Financial Crimes". Ying led a Chinese delegation to attend the conference.
Edwin Tong, Singapore's Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, and Lucien Wong, Singapore's Attorney General, also addressed the opening ceremony.
Following the opening ceremony, a plenary session took place, where Ying and heads of ASEAN members' prosecution delegations, as well as Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China, and Ip Son-sang, Prosecutor General of the Public Prosecutions Office of the Macao SAR of China, gave keynote speeches.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, addresses the opening ceremony of the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Ying emphasized the strong partnership between China and ASEAN, saying they are good neighbors, good friends and good partners.
Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and leaders of the ASEAN countries, the China-ASEAN relationship enjoys significant influence on both the Asian and global stages, he said.
Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference mechanism, Ying said that, over the past two decades, it has become a significant platform for judicial and procuratorial cooperation in Asia and the world.
Thanks in part to the conference, China and ASEAN countries, as well as their prosecution authorities, have treated each other as equals to promote mutual benefit and win-win results and engaged in extensive and effective cooperation in combating transnational crimes, judicial assistance, and prosecutors training, contributing significantly to regional peace, stability, prosperity and the well-being of people in the region.
China's procuratorial authorities will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with its counterparts in the ASEAN countries, further enhance understanding, build consensus and strengthen synergy to contribute to the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, he said.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, delivers a keynote speech.
In his keynote speech at the plenary session, Ying noted that finance is the lifeblood of the economy, and that financial security is a crucial component of national security and economic security.
While providing robust support for global economic development, finance also faces new risks and challenges, he said.
Noting that financial crimes are increasingly frequent and complex, with methods evolving to be more interconnected, covert, transnational, and cyber-based, Ying pointed out that the effort to punish these offences is faced with challenges such as difficulties in evidence collection, fact determination, legal application and asset recovery, becoming a global issue.
He emphasized that China places high importance on combating and preventing financial crimes, and has worked to formulate and improve relevant laws, intensify efforts in asset recovery, enhance international cooperation on law enforcement, and further promote the development of the rule of law in the financial field.
As the country's legal supervision and judicial organ to ensure the correct implementation of laws, China's procuratorial authorities bear significant responsibilities in combating and preventing financial crimes, he said.
While upholding law enforcement against financial crimes, they strive to ensure the protection of human rights, and integrate asset recovery efforts into the judicial process of handling financial crime cases in order to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the people, he added.
Ying said China has established specialized agencies for prosecuting economic crimes, enhanced application of information technology in financial prosecutions, and effectively improved the capability and professionalism in combating financial crimes.
Through their handling of cases, Chinese procuratorial authorities also put forward targeted procuratorial recommendations to relevant departments to promote comprehensive enhancement of financial regulation and make coordinated efforts to prevent and mitigate financial risks, he said.
In addition, they actively participate in international law enforcement and judicial cooperation, provide judicial assistance to criminal cases according to the law, enhance exchanges for prosecutor training and foster collective action to combat financial crimes, he added.
Ying emphasized that it is a crucial and urgent task to strengthen law enforcement and judicial cooperation in combating financial crimes, jointly prevent and defuse financial risks, and safeguard financial security.
China's procuratorial authorities are willing to work with their counterparts in the ASEAN countries, based on mutual respect for national sovereignty, jurisdiction and domestic laws, to establish a regular information sharing mechanism and promptly share financial crime clues and intelligence, he said.
Ying underlined the need to deepen law enforcement cooperation, and refine collaboration in cross-border investigations, evidence conversion and judicial document delivery.
He called for the leveraging of the role of the China-ASEAN Prosecutors Exchange and Training Base to enhance training, mutual learning and exchange of legislation, law enforcement and judicial experiences, collectively enhance the professional capabilities of prosecutors, and jointly shoulder the responsibility for combating financial crimes, addressing financial risks and safeguarding financial security to serve the high-quality development of the region.
Heads of the delegations pose for a group photo at the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference.
After extensive consultation, the heads of the delegations from various countries signed the Joint Declaration of the 14th China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference.
The declaration fully acknowledges the significant role of the mechanism of the China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference in promoting peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development in China and ASEAN countries. Recognizing the increasing complexity of financial crimes, the parties decided to further strengthen cooperation in advancing the rule of law, criminal mutual legal assistance, preventing and combating transnational financial crimes, prosecutor training exchanges, and effectively combat and curb financial crimes to protect the stability and development of China and the ASEAN countries.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Singapore's Attorney General Lucien Wong.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Vietnam's Prosecutor General Nguyen Huy Tien.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Myanmar's Attorney General Thi Da Oo.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Thailand's Attorney General Phairach Pornsomboonsiri.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Brunei's Attorney General Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Nor Hashimah binti Haji Taib.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) of China, meets with Deputy Prosecutor General of Lao PDR Phonephet Ounkeo.
On the sidelines of the conference, Ying had separate meetings with Singapore's Attorney General Lucien Wong, Vietnam's Prosecutor General Nguyen Huy Tien, Myanmar's Attorney General Thi Da Oo, Thailand's Attorney General Phairach Pornsomboonsiri, Brunei's Attorney General Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Nor Hashimah binti Haji Taib, and Deputy Prosecutor General of Lao PDR Phonephet Ounkeo.
During the meetings, Ying reviewed the exchanges and cooperation between China's procuratorial authorities and their counterparts of ASEAN member states, introducing China's rule of law reform and prosecution work.
He said that China's procuratorial authorities are faithfully implementing the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, fully performing their functions of legal supervision, and solidly advancing the practice of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law in the procuratorial field, in order to better support and serve Chinese modernization.
The prosecution authorities of ASEAN countries have carried out practical and effective work in serving national modernization and promoting the rule of law, with many good practices and experiences, he said.
Ying said that China's SPP is willing to work with the attorney general's offices of ASEAN countries, under the strategic guidance of leaders of China and ASEAN countries, to further enhance mutual trust, strengthen effective cooperation in combating transnational crimes such as cross-border telecommunications fraud, drug trafficking, illegal border crossing and gambling, deepen cooperation among border prosecution agencies and improve criminal judicial assistance mechanisms.
He also underlined the need to enhance high-level mutual visits and people-to-people exchanges, collectively enhance the capabilities and levels of prosecution work to provide more robust rule of law safeguards for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and effectively safeguard the national interests of various countries and the well-being of their people.
The attorneys general who met with Ying expressed appreciation for China's efforts to develop the China-ASEAN Prosecutors General Conference as well as their admiration for China's achievements in rule of law reform and innovative development of prosecution work.
They expressed the hope to draw on the beneficial experiences of China's procuratorial authorities in serving economic and social development, upholding judicial fairness and advancing procuratorial reforms, and deepen practical cooperation with China in combating transnational crimes, enhancing criminal judicial assistance, strengthening IT application in the prosecution field, and conducting exchanges in prosecutors training.
Among those who attended the conference and engagements were Cao Zhongming, Chinese Ambassador to Singapore; Paul Lam; Ip Son-sang; Dong Kaijun, Chief Prosecutor of Hebei Provincial People's Procuratorate; Hou Jianjun, Chief Prosecutor of Fujian Provincial People's Procuratorate; and Gu Xuefei, Chief Prosecutor of Shandong Provincial People's Procuratorate.
