-On the 1st Session of the Thirteenth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth National People's Congress on March 9, 2018

Zhou Qiang, the President of the Supreme People's Court

Serve the major strategy of economic development. 16 measures for providing solid judicial protection for overseas trade and investment of Chinese enterprises have been introduced to serve the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The coordination mechanism is built for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei courts to serve coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and construction of Xiong’an New Area. Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang courts have provided judicial service based on revival of old northeast industrial base. Tianjin, Shanghai, Fujian and Guangdong courts heard the related cases justly and efficiently in accordance with the law around the service for construction of the pilot free trade zone. 

Serve the new overall opening pattern. We concluded 75,000 foreign-related civil and commercial disputes and equally protected legal rights and interests of Chinese and foreign parties involved. More and more foreign parties involved have chosen Chinese courts to solve the disputes by agreement. We have improved judicial review procedures for arbitration and support arbitration to play a more significant role in the foreign dispute settlement. To serve the maritime power strategy, we concluded 72,000 first-instance maritime cases, which powerfully preserve Chinese marine safety and judicial sovereignty. Furthermore, we heard salvage contract dispute for distress of “Archangelos Gabriel” according to laws, and accurately interpreted international conventions to promote and improve maritime laws. Besides, to strengthen international judicial exchange and communication, tell Chinese legal stories and propagate Chinese laws, we handled 15,000 international judicial assistance cases, organize international judicial conferences such as China-ASEAN Justice (Nanning) Forum, (Suzhou)Conference of Presidents of Supreme Courts of China and Central and Eastern European Countries, and Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Forum on Judicial Cooperation. 

We will conscientiously implement Opinion Concerning the establishment of the “Belt and Road” International Commercial Dispute Resolution Mechanism and Institutions passed by the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, to strengthen overseas commercial, maritime and intellectual property trial work, establish International Commercial Courts of the Supreme People's Court, and advance construction of diversified dispute settlement mechanism for the Belt and Road Initiative. Moreover, we will enhance trial work of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-related cases and alien related cases, as well as actively go through judicial assistance and mutual assistance cases. To guarantee implementation of the regional coordinated development strategy, we support the development of old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas, border areas and poverty-stricken area and serve construction of Xiong’an New area, pilot free trade zone, innovation demonstration zone and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. 

Related Links:
最高人民法院工作报告（节选）

*The original text is Chinese and has been translated into English for reference only. If there is any inconsistency or ambiguity between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.