Top court unveils international tribunal guideline

China's top court issued a guideline on Thursday to regulate the operation of international commercial tribunals nationwide, in a bid to promote the country's high-quality development and high-level opening-up.

It is the first time China has released a comprehensive legal document aimed at systematically planning the coordinated growth of the international commercial courts with the Supreme People's Court and local tribunals.

The 15-article guideline stresses the need to intensify efforts to position China as a preferred venue for resolving global commercial disputes. That will be achieved by building a well-structured, fair, efficient and convenient system with Chinese characteristics, said Wang Shumei, an official with the Supreme People's Court.

Wang, also a standing member of the court's Adjudication Committee, said the goal will be fulfilled through optimized jurisdiction, improved case management, more comprehensive methods for ascertaining foreign laws, easier access to legal services and stronger application of international treaties and practices.

Citing the guideline, she called on commercial tribunals nationwide to strengthen judicial cooperation and exchanges with other countries and international organizations, including the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.

As of Sept 20, the first and second international commercial courts of the Supreme People's Court had accepted 44 international commercial disputes, 37 of which have been concluded, involving parties from 21 countries and regions, according to court data.

Since 2020, the court has approved the establishment of international commercial tribunals in 16 intermediate courts. By the end of August, those local courts had heard 16,687 cases and concluded more than 150,000, providing fair, efficient, convenient and low-cost dispute resolution services for both domestic and foreign litigants, the data showed.

Judicial efforts in handling international commercial cases are part of a broader strategy to enhance China's foreign-related adjudication, playing a key role in supporting regional economic development, offering legal protection for Chinese enterprises going global and safeguarding legitimate interests overseas, the court said.