• Distinguished Permament Representatives, Distinguished Permanent Observers, Justice Wan Exchiang, Vice President of the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong , Ladies and Gentlemen,

• I am pleased to welcome you to this 25th lecture of OAS Lecture Series of the Americas, which was established in September 2004.

• The objective of the Lecture Series is to reach out to our citizens in the Americas on topics relevant to democracy, rule of law, development and security. We are very pleased to have hosted so far former Presidents and Prime Ministers, Nobel Laureates, philanthropists and other personalities of diverse backgrounds who have shared their perspectives and contributed to the ongoing discussions regarding the region’s most pressing problems.

• Today we are pleased to welcome a prominent citizen of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Wan Exiang, Vice President of the Supreme Court of his country. Justice Wan will inform us about the on-going reform process of the Chinese judicial system. In December 2005 we were honored to hear from His Excellency Chen Siwei, Vice President of the National Congress of the People’s Republic of China at the 10th Lecture.

• The People’s Republic of China became a Permanent Observer to the OAS on May 26, 2004. We are happy to have with us here today the current Permanent Observer of the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong.

• I was pleased to visit, upon invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People’s Republic of China in June 2006, accompanied by a group of OAS Permanent Representatives, for a historic and memorable working visit.

• We note the strengthened relation between China and the Western Hemisphere over the past year. The trade volume between China and Latin American and the Caribbean grew in 2006 up to 70 billion USD, a growth of almost 40%. This trend is likely to continue as China becomes more integrated in the global economy.

• The Organization of American States is pleased with the cooperation agreement signed in February 2005, through which China agreed to contribute one million USD over a five year period. Many areas of the General Secretariat, including this Lecture Series of the Americas, have benefited from these financial resources, and we look forward to a broadening of this agreement in scope and resource levels.

• In the near future China will host two global events, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and in 2010 the World Expo in Shanghai. And I know that China looks forward to the participation of many of our Member States.

• Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to welcome His Excellency Justice Wan Exiang, Vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the People’s Republic of China.

• I offer now the floor to Ambassador Denis Antoine, in representation of the Chair of the Permanent Council, to introduce our distinguished speaker.