In the 25 years since the return of Macao to the motherland, the courts of the Macao Special Administrative Region have always upheld the authority of the Constitution and the Macao Basic Law, effectively guaranteed the implementation of 'One Country, Two Systems' in Macao, faithfully fulfilled the powers conferred by the Macao Basic Law in judicial work, and resolved various issues related to the application of relevant laws. "On the occasion of the upcoming 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, Song Minli, President of the Court of Final Appeal of the Macao Special Administrative Region, answered questions from reporters on the development of Macao's judiciary after the return, judicial services for economic and social development, and judicial assistance between Guangdong and Macao. After the return of Macau to the motherland, significant achievements have been made in the construction of the rule of law. Since 1996, Song Minli has long served in the Macau judicial system and experienced the process of establishing and improving the judicial system in the special administrative region. After the return of Macau to the motherland, its political and legal status underwent fundamental changes, and the Macau judicial system entered a new historical period Song Minli said. After the return, the Basic Law provided a solid foundation for the construction of the rule of law in Macau Song Minli said that the implementation of the Basic Law not only ensures that Macau's legal system is in line with the principle of "one country, two systems", but also guarantees Macau's high degree of autonomy. In Song Minli's view, the strengthening of judicial independence, the expansion of international and regional judicial cooperation, the significant improvement of judicial efficiency, and the increase in citizens' understanding and trust in the judiciary are all significant achievements in the construction of the rule of law in Macau after its return. When it comes to upholding the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law by the Court of Final Appeal of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Song Minli said that as an important component of the judicial system of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the Court of Final Appeal has always regarded resolutely upholding the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law of Macao as its mission and responsibility. Song Minli said that in order to comprehensively, accurately, and unwaveringly implement the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and improve the quality of judicial personnel, in addition to training judicial personnel locally, the SAR courts have been vigorously promoting the participation of judicial personnel in training programs held in mainland China, further deepening exchanges and cooperation between the judicial authorities of mainland China and Macao, and enabling Macao court workers to have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the mainland judicial system. From 2016 to 2021, with the assistance of the Supreme People's Court and the National Academy of Judges, a total of 5 "Judicial Training Courses" were held; During the period of 2023 to 2024, two "Macao SAR Judicial Auxiliary Personnel Training Courses" were held in Guangdong Province. Judicial reform has improved efficiency, and convenient services have shown remarkable results in protecting the rights and interests of workers, upholding judicial fairness, punishing crimes, and properly handling various civil and commercial disputes... "The judicial system has played an important role in promoting the prosperity and development of Macao's economy and social harmony and stability, providing solid judicial guarantees for Macao's long-term prosperity and stability," said Song Minli. The Special Administrative Region Court continues to promote judicial reform and improve litigation efficiency. Song Minli pointed out that in recent years, the Special Administrative Region courts have increased the utilization rate of courts for minor civil cases, added ordinary litigation procedures in simplified form, and appropriately expanded the jurisdiction of the final court. With the development of society, the demand for judicial services from citizens is increasing day by day. Song Minli stated that the Special Administrative Region Court has always adhered to the original intention of putting the people first, continuously introducing convenient judicial measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resolving disputes. For example, in 2022, the Special Administrative Region Court launched two court electronic services, allowing parties to submit litigation documents and pay litigation costs electronically. This is also an important step towards the electronicization of judicial litigation in the Special Administrative Region, "said Song Minli, Change the previous method of mailing judicial documents and requesting evidence retrieval between Macau and mainland China to electronic means, greatly reducing the average time required for mutual delegation of judicial documents and evidence retrieval between the two courts. We attach great importance to the cooperation and exchange between the Special Administrative Region Court and the Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone Court Song Minli introduced that in 2023, the Macao SAR Primary Court and the People's Court of the Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone signed a memorandum on strengthening judicial exchanges and cooperation in Hengqin; In March 2024, a delegation from the Macau SAR courts conducted a series of concentrated visits to nine courts or tribunals in the Greater Bay Area, engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as further improving the judicial assistance mechanism between Guangdong and Macau, deepening judicial exchanges and cooperation between the two regions, and simplifying judicial assistance procedures. We look forward to exploring and improving judicial assistance mechanisms, deepening judicial cooperation, exploring more efficient and convenient assistance mechanisms within the Greater Bay Area, and improving the quality and efficiency of assisting in the delivery of judicial documents, entrusted evidence collection, and other work Song Minli stated that these efforts will continue to promote deep cooperation between Macau and the mainland in the judicial field, providing legal guarantees for the integrated development of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. Looking ahead to the future, Song Minli stated that the SAR courts will continue to contribute to the realization of the vision of "rule of law in Macau" under the leadership and support of the central government, and continuously write a new chapter of successful practice of "one country, two systems" with Macau characteristics. (New Society)