China agreed to develop judicial cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states at supreme-court level in a joint declaration signed on Friday.

The declaration, signed between China and five other SCO members including Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, vows to further develop cooperation between the supreme courts of member states on case trials, intermediation and verdict implementation under the current international conventions.

A mechanism for regular meetings between the presidents of the courts will be established and a department will be formed in each supreme court to communicate specific issues.

The senior officials of the courts will conduct frequent communications and visits. And judges will be selected to train in the supreme courts of other member states.

The declaration also urges member states to consider a convention on judicial cooperation.

It says that the cooperation will focus on cross-border crime investigation, extradition, repatriation as well as freezing of crime-related assets.

It pledges to consolidate earlier pacts including the 2001 Shanghai convention on fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, which first declared the organization's determination to fight security threats in the region.

The joint declaration aims to bring sustainable peace and common prosperity. It was signed on Friday by the supreme courts of the member states before the closing of the first SCO Supreme Courts Presidents Conference, which opened on Thursday.

"The conference marked a new development in the judicial cooperation between member states," said Xiao Yang, president of China's Supreme People's Court.

"And it is significant to the development of district peace."

The Supreme Court of Russia Federation will hold the next SCO Supreme Court Presidents Conference in Moscow.

(China Daily September 23, 2006)