China is strengthening its maritime legal framework, actively participating in the formulation of international rules and using multiple measures to position itself as a preferred venue for international maritime dispute resolution, the country's top court said.
On Thursday, the Supreme People's Court released a bilingual maritime adjudication report reviewing efforts over the past three years to expand China's judicial influence internationally and contribute to global ocean governance.
According to the report, from 2022 to 2024, Chinese courts handled 6,823 foreign-related maritime cases, of which 6,071 were concluded. The cases involved parties from 143 countries and regions.
To support the Chinese path to modernization, the top court worked with legislative bodies during the three years to amend laws including the Maritime Law, the Special Maritime Procedure Law, the Marine Environment Protection Law and the foreign-related provisions of the Civil Procedure Law, continuously refining the country's maritime legal system.
The court also highlighted 33 notable maritime cases covering areas such as public interest litigation involving marine natural resources and the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to standardize adjudication and improve the quality of case handling.
Given the large number of foreign-related maritime cases, China has taken the initiative to participate in international rule-making in the field and has established a diversified dispute resolution mechanism that includes mediation, arbitration and litigation. The effort is intended to provide fair, efficient, convenient and low-cost legal services for litigants from China and abroad.
For example, the Ningbo Maritime Court in Zhejiang province has invited maritime experts and arbitrators from port and shipping logistics sectors to form a mediation think tank to help resolve cross-border disputes more efficiently.
In one case involving a compensation dispute between a shipping company in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and a corporation in the Marshall Islands over a ship collision, the Ningbo court proactively engaged the foreign vessel's protection and indemnity association in mediation. Through joint efforts, the Marshall Islands company agreed to pay $1.25 million in compensation.
In another case, two foreign vessels collided in the Strait of Malacca. Although the dispute had no direct connection to China, both parties agreed to have the Ningbo court handle the case and apply Chinese laws to resolve the dispute.
"The facilitation, legalization and internationalization of maritime dispute resolution are leading more foreign parties to choose Chinese maritime courts for litigation, highlighting the international influence of China's judiciary," the report said.
Beyond improving the quality and efficiency of foreign-related case handling, China is also strengthening the training of legal professionals and advancing the informatization of maritime adjudication. The report said the country is building the world's most comprehensive maritime adjudication system, with the largest number and widest variety of cases.
In April 2022, a dedicated website for China's maritime trials was opened to the public, with technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence widely applied in case handling, providing domestic and foreign litigants with easier access to legal services.
Data from the top court showed that more than 30,000 maritime cases were heard by Chinese courts in 2024, compared with just 18 in 1984. Over the past 40 years, China has established 11 specialized maritime courts, expanding jurisdiction from traditional shipping and trade civil and commercial disputes to cases involving the marine economy and marine environmental protection.
