As Laos and China are key partners under the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, more personnel training and knowledge sharing should be formed to deepen legal cooperation, said a senior official from the Supreme People's Procuratorate of Laos.
“Under the BRI, we hope there will be more cooperation and that China can help Laos cultivate prosecution talent,” said Somboun Soukthavi, deputy director of the Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation at the Supreme People's Procuratorate of Laos.
Speaking in fluent Mandarin, Soukthavi, who completed his Master’s degree in civil and commercial law at Guangxi University in South China, said he hopes more Lao prosecutors can receive training and pursue further studies in China to learn about Chinese legal provisions and the work of the procuratorate.
“I think China's procuratorial system is highly capable because of its role in national legal oversight,” said Soukthavi. “I hope Laos and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can work more with China.”
Soukthavi was speaking to China Daily on the sidelines of the 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference, held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from Sept 22 to 24.
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Initiated by the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China in 2004, the conference serves as a key platform for China-ASEAN prosecutorial exchange and cooperation in combating transnational crimes.
“Our cooperation with China has strengthened over the years,” said Soukthavi.
For example, since 1999, Soukthavi said the three Laos provinces bordering China have worked closely with neighboring Yunnan province in Southwest China in criminal suspect apprehension.
Several memoranda of understanding have also been signed between the Supreme People's Procuratorate of Laos and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China.
Soukthavi said crime today goes beyond borders, and it is necessary for procuratorates of different countries to jointly safeguard regional security.
In particular, as this year’s conference set the theme on “Combating Money Laundering and Corruption, and Recovering Assets in the Technological Age”, Soukthavi said he hopes ASEAN and China can establish a more efficient system for cross-border legal requests and information sharing so one country’s need can be sent to another country more directly for assistance.
He also welcomed deeper engagement with the HKSAR’s Department of Justice, particularly in criminal case handling and prosecutor exchanges.
