A senior Chinese Communist Party official has said that China is ready to learn from India and other countries when it comes to the establishment of the rule of law, according to Xinhua.

CPC Central Committee member Zhou Yongkang made the remark while meeting with an Indian Supreme Court delegation led by Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan. Zhou also said that China and India shared a long history of friendship and could learn many things from each other.

The top official says that the now-concluded 17th National Congress of the CPC had prioritized the building of a socialist country governed by law. He said that China was implementing the fundamental principle of rule of law in all aspects, and that the country would develop socialist democracy and rule of law.

As China-India relations had improved and expanded, Zhou said, exchanges between the judicial systems of the two countries also deepened. He said he believed that the visit by Chief Justice Balakrishnan would further advance exchanges and cooperation between the judicial systems of the two countries.

Balakrishnan expressed admiration for China¡¦s achievements in economic and social development, and said that the judicial system of India was willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with its Chinese counterpart.

In a recent visit to Hong Kong, former Lord Chief Justice of England Lord Woolf also expressed his optimism with China¡¦s desire to develop the rule of law. He told China Law & Practice that his experience in talking with Chinese officials, a genuine desire existed among the leadership to learn from other jurisdictions in how to implement the rule of law.

Lord Woolf, who is one of the most prominent legal reformers in modern history, referred to the way that the law of the United Kingdom has been enriched by Civil Law traditions in Europe and vice versa as an example to follow. ¡§That the same is to happen here must be a concern for Hong Kong and the mainland government,¡¨ he said. ¡§It cannot be but a benefit for both.¡¨