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China opens door to Taiwan’s lawyers

Taiwanese have been given the green light to take China’s judicial exam to practice law in China, China’s state media reported yesterday.

Ding Lu (丁露), director of China’s National Judicial Examination Center, told Xinhua news agency that many Taiwanese want to take the exam to obtain qualifications to practice law in China.

In recent years, a number of people, including legal professionals, had enquired about China’s judicial exam and expressed a wish to take part, Ding said.

The move would help promote cross-strait exchanges and provide better legal services for “compatriots” living in both areas, Ding said.

The news will be of particular interest to Taiwanese lawyers, who have complained about a lack of access to the Chinese legal system.

Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) yesterday expressed approval at the news. He said Taiwan’s judiciary is far more advanced than China’s, in terms of both structure and concepts.

But Yao opposed a reciprocal measure, citing differences in legal concepts between China and Taiwan.

The market for legal professionals in Taiwan has reached capacity and cannot absorb applicants from across the strait, he added.

Meanwhile, China yesterday praised Saturday’s meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and Taiwanese vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), saying it could boost strained relations.

“This meeting received widespread high evaluation at home and abroad, and was highly affirmed by all sectors in Taiwan,” Li Weiyi (李維一), spokesman for the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters in Beijing. “We feel it will play an extremely important, active role in improving relations between the sides.”

During the 20-minute talk on the sidelines of a conference of business and world leaders in Hainan on Saturday, Hu and Siew discussed boosting economic ties.

Additional reporting by staff writer
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