Photo/China International Commercial Court 

A one-stop service for resolving international commercial disputes that opened on July 21 is designed to meet the new demands of the online era and provide fast, convenient and low-cost legal services.

Litigants can access the platform by visiting the website of the China International Commercial Court via computer, or by using their mobile phones to access a mini-program on WeChat.

Domestic and foreign litigants can choose how they want to solve the dispute, whether through mediation, arbitration or litigation, and the platform has both a Chinese and an English version.

The platform, which makes full use of technology-friendly smart courts, also offers other services, like legal searches and ascertaining foreign laws.

The online platform serves the resolution mechanism by permitting litigants to search for required services. Five international commercial arbitration institutions and two international mediation centers are among the first group of participating institutions accessible through the platform, including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and the Shanghai Commercial Mediation Center.

China has not stopped trying to resolve international commercial litigation cases even though the COVID-19 pandemic created difficulties for litigation at home and abroad, as well as for trials involving foreign nationals.

To promote judicial development and protect livelihoods, the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, also issued a guideline on handling commercial and maritime cases involving foreign nationals last year.

Source: China Daily

Editor: Annie