Beijing on Thursday hosted The Forum on the Rule of Law in a Digital Economy. Supreme court justices and legal experts from as many as 15 countries attended. They discussed how the judicial system could be improved as China's e-commerce economy has now surpassed its traditional retail volume. Dai Kaiyi has more.

Attended by supreme court justices, UN officials and university professors, the Forum of the Rule of Law in a Digital Economy focused on the impact of China's digital economy and the judicial system.

China's chief justice said in his keynote address that China is building a new judicial model in the digital era.

ZHOU QIANG Chief Justice & President Supreme People's Court of China "Relying on modern information technology, Chinese courts have reshaped the traditional adjudication model and litigation process, established and improved an internet-based system of judicial rules, and pushed for changes in the quality, efficiency and dynamics of judicial adjudication, in an effort to promote the modernization of the system and capability."

The forum was held simultaneously on Thursday in Beijing and eastern Hangzhou City. Participants from as many as 15 countries and regions including Russia, Singapore and the UK took part virtually.

While digitalization is the future to many, some believe that the traditional courts would still have their place, and technology is only part of it.

VICTOR MOMOTOV President, Council of Judges of the Russian Federation "Technologies may well be a part of the court, but they should not replace it or become its substitute. The court performs such important functions as upholding the constitutional order, protecting rights, providing legal education, improving the level of legal consciousness and respect for the law, as well as many others."

Experts believe that following this forum, the judicial branches of those countries which attended will cooperate to jointly build the rule of law in the digital economy.

NGUYEN HOA BINH Politburo Member, Secretary of the Central Committee Communist Party of Vietnam "I think the most successful part of this forum is not sharing experience or knowledge, but we have reached a high consensus on the development of the digital economy and the rule of law in the digital economy."

DAI KAIYI Beijing "Attendees, by and large, believe that more courts will no longer just function as physical venues, but also as online service providers. But they also say traditional courts should be preserved, especially in areas that lack internet services, communication means, and relevant technical skills. They say this is to help ensure every citizen has equal access to justice. DAI KAIYI, CGTN, BEIJING."