Refined legal services streamline border trade

Resolving disagreements

In June, the tribunal in the Horgos area successfully mediated a vehicle purchase dispute between a Kazakhstani and a Chinese individual, earning praise from both parties.

In 2023, the Kazakhstani buyer agreed via WeChat to purchase a car from the Chinese seller for 230,000 yuan, making an initial payment of 114,500 yuan. The agreement specified that the balance would be paid by July 2024. However, the Chinese seller failed to deliver the vehicle, prompting the Kazakhstani buyer to file a lawsuit with the tribunal in April.

Reflecting on the case, Amanjol, the lawyer for the Kazakhstani party, said that he and his client found the legal services more accessible during the case proceedings.

"The tribunal opened a fast channel for foreign litigants, streamlining case filing, material review and hearings. It also assigned staff fluent in foreign and ethnic languages to facilitate communication," he said.

"These measures not only improved the case handling efficiency but also infused a strong sense of humanity into the judicial process for both my client and me," he added.

In addition to these services, Wu Guoquan, an official from the Horgos People's Court, said that they have selected people's assessors with expertise in trade, finance and logistics to participate in hearings of foreign-related cases, aiding judges in improving the quality of adjudication.

Entrepreneur Li Xiangfeng, with over 30 years of experience in international trade, is one such assessor. Her practical experience has provided valuable insights for resolving foreign-related issues and offered judges auxiliary references to accurately address the root causes of commercial disputes.

"I've witnessed the judiciary's commitment to serving the people over the past four years as an assessor. It's an honor to help identify substantive issues behind disputes and assist judges in resolving trade conflicts more swiftly," she said.

Lyu Ting, another official from the Horgos court, said plans are in place to attract more experts with business backgrounds and language skills like Li to enrich the assessor team.

She added that there will be collaboration with academic institutions to enhance research on foreign treaties and commercial laws, so as to further strengthen the judicial capacity to handle foreign-related issues and offer more personalized legal services to litigants.

According to data from the tribunal, it has heard 226 civil and commercial cases, 105 of which involved foreign matters, since its launch.