Commercial court to play larger role

Experts suggest institution put more effort in talent training, legal research

Lauding efforts made by the Beijing International Commercial Court in safeguarding a sound business environment since its establishment, legal experts suggested it could play an even bigger role in cultivating judicial talent and increase legal research involving foreigners or foreign countries.

They made the suggestions during a seminar held by the court on Friday, encouraging it to help China better face complex international situations and promote its goal of advancing overall law-based governance, as required by President Xi Jinping.

Data showed that since the court was established in December 2021, it has handled some 1,000 international commercial disputes, covering more than 3,000 entities from over 60 countries and regions around the world. The amount of money involved reached 16 billion yuan ($2.3 billion).

Also on Friday, the court launched its website in Chinese and English, where people can discover which judges are responsible for handling such disputes in the court and enjoy easy access to litigation guidelines.

In addition, the website offers information about international exchanges and judicial resources, including notable disputes and judicial interpretations.

It is the first bilingual website of a local international commercial court in China.

Highlighting the court's contribution in resolving global commercial conflicts, Liu Jingdong, head of the International Economic Law Department at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of International Law, called for stronger measures to educate judicial talent in this regard.

"The education should be intensified to improve the quality of relevant case handling, but at the same time it's also necessary to take actions to retain talent, such as by offering them more opportunities to participate in international activities," said Liu, who is also deputy head of the China Academy of Arbitration Law.

He stressed the significance for Chinese judges to follow and figure out what is being heatedly discussed in the field of global arbitration, adding that high-quality judgements need to be open to the world to show China's ideas in resolving such disputes.

Wang Chengjie, deputy head of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, welcomed exchanges with the court's judges to strengthen talent education and training.

Regarding the website as an effective platform for "showing us and understanding others", he suggested the court increase legal research involving external affairs, adding that it is vital to share information on international commerce for those engaged in this industry.

To implement the central leadership's requirement to take a coordinated approach to promoting the rule of law at home and in matters involving foreign parties, Huang Jin, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said that it is also crucial to help prevent international commercial disputes while resolving relevant cases.

The court was set up as a division under the Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court after approval from the Supreme People's Court, the country's top court.

The intermediate court had specialized in handling capital-related commercial disputes involving foreign litigants since 2018.