The 22nd Congress on the Law of the World opened in Beijing Monday. Luo Gan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Luo said it was the second time for China to host the Congress on the Law of the World. The 14th Congress held in Beijing in 1990 was very successful. The Beijing Declaration adopted at that Congress has had wide-ranging impacts and demonstrated the aspiration of the legal field to promote world peace and development by legal means. The current Congress's theme - the Rule of Law and Harmony of International Society - is of highly realistic significance.

Luo said in the era of globalization, countries in the world have their interests intertwined, depend on each other for security and have common opportunities and common challenges.

"We should work together to forge a new international order with fairness and justice. We should establish a harmonious international community based on equal participation, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation for all the nations", he said.

"I think the following principles should be followed in this endeavor: One, the principle of mutual respect in political relations. On the basis of the UN Charter, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other accepted principles governing international relations, we should uphold sovereign equality, promote multilateralism and democratization of international relations, support the central role of the United Nations in international affairs and advocate the proper rights and interests of developing countries. Two, the principle of strengthening economic cooperation. We should establish a global multilateral trading system that is open, fair, just, transparent and non-discriminatory, bring about win-win achievements through learning from each other to make up deficiencies on a mutually beneficial and reciprocal basis, and promote the economic globalization driving for the trends of balanced, generally preferential and win-win development. Three, cultural diversity. We should encourage tolerance, respect the diversity of civilizations, religions and values, respect the autonomous right of different countries to choose their own social system and model for their development, promote the friendly relations of different civilizations and learn from each for common development and prosperity on the basis of seeking common grounds by reserving and respecting the differences of each other. Four, the principle of mutual confidence in security matters. We should develop a new security concept based on mutual benefits, mutual trust, equality and collaboration, improve mutual confidence through dialogue, resolve conflicts through negotiation and maintain stability through cooperation. We should work together to respond to traditional and nontraditional security threats to maintain the world peace," he said.

Xiao Yang, Chief Justice and president of the Supreme People's Court said at the opening ceremony that to realize the rule of law in the world and to build a harmonious international society should depend on the common endeavor of the legal professionals all over the world. To maintain the rule of law is a common subject for all the countries, no matter the legally developed ones or legally developing ones.

"Therefore, communication among the legal professionals of the countries all over the world should be strengthened, so as to realize common development and progress. I believe the Congress will further the communication in the legal field and promote the progress of the world's rule of law," Xiao said.

Valeriy Yevdokymov, President of the World Jurist Association, presided over the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. He said nowadays there are great numbers of difficult legal challenges facing the world and it's very important that the Congress brings together legal professionals from around the world in an effort to spur dialogue on some of the most pressing events remains continuation of our fight for promoting peace through the rule of law. Just the holding of such congress confirms our words and your participation in this conference will help us to realize the common vision of these problems which we disputed more than 40 years.

Besides the delegates will have chance to acquaint with the history of the wonderful country--China. The participation of chief justices and judges from all over the world also plays an important role because one of the founders of the WJA is the World Association of Judges. I think that involvement of legal professionals will assist to hold more detailed discussions and negotiations on legal issues facing us, he said.

More than 1,000 delegates from over 60 countries are attending the Congress.

The Congress on the Law of the World, an international conference sponsored by the World Jurist Association (WJA), is held biennially with around 1,000 participants each time.

Source: Xinhua