Chang Zhipeng

57589527@qq.com

THE Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone People’s Court has been recognized as one of 40 National Model Courts, according to an announcement made during a national high court president conference held in Beijing earlier this week.

It is the first court in a free trade zone in the country to receive this honor. The selection and commendation of National Model Courts is jointly conducted every five years, representing the highest accolade within the national court system.

Designated by the Supreme People’s Court as a demonstration court for comprehensive judicial system reform, the Qianhai court not only handles first-instance civil and commercial cases within its jurisdiction but also centrally manages first-instance commercial cases related to China’s Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as foreign countries, which are typically overseen by grassroots courts in Shenzhen.

As of December 2024, the Qianhai court had accepted 124,087 cases, marking a 16.07-fold increase since its establishment in 2015.

The court aims to serve as an optimal venue for litigants to resolve commercial disputes. To date, it has accepted 21,900 commercial cases related to 143 countries and regions. Among these, 14,041 cases were related to Hong Kong, the highest in the country.

It has also systematically developed a framework for ascertaining and applying foreign laws. It has applied foreign laws, international treaties, and practices while adjudicating a total of 236 cases, with 149 of those tried under Hong Kong law — the highest number in the country.

Additionally, it has selected 81 jurors from Hong Kong and hired 49 mediators from China’s Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and foreign countries to participate in the trial and mediation of cross-border commercial disputes. The court has also introduced four expert researchers from Hong Kong and Macao.

The court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Center for International Commercial Disputes has mediated 14,968 cases. It was the first in the country to engage three Hong Kong mediation organizations to mediate cases related to Hong Kong. These organizations have handled 184 mediation cases, with a mediation success rate of 43.5%.