BEIJING, June 29 -- Shen Deyong, executive vice president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong are expected to confirm further judicial assistance arrangements, including those regarding criminal proceedings.

Shen said in an interview with Xinhua that the two sides will carry out further negotiations on judicial assistance in civil and commercial cases and will take effective measures to deal with the assistance issues in criminal cases, so the assistance arrangements cover all judicial realms between the two sides.

Although the mainland and Hong Kong exercise different social and legal systems, Shen expressed optimism towards the goal as the legal professions on the two sides share the same will of adhering to the "one country, two systems" principle, promoting the country's development and improving the people's welfare.

Under the "one country, two systems" arrangements, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) exercises executive, legislative, and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication.

Over the past 20 years, the SPC and related authorities in the SAR have reached five judicial assistance agreements regarding civil and commercial proceedings.

Shen said such arrangements were made in accordance to the Basic Law of the HKSAR and were not a simple imitation of international agreements.

He said these agreements have provided a solid guarantee for the implementation of "one country, two systems", contributed to the two sides' economic and social development, and provided support for the SAR in building itself into a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia Pacific region.

According to Shen, over the past 20 years, the two sides have handled more than 20,000 judicial assistance cases.