Beijing International Commercial Tribunal focuses on talent to enhance case handling

Beijing International Commercial Tribunal is improving the quality and efficiency of case handling, with great efforts in legal talent training and cultivation, an official said on Wednesday.

Since Jan 1, 2022, to Oct 31 this year, the tribunal, a division under the Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court, concluded a total of 6,808 cases, where litigants came from 110 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, according to Li Yingxin, vice-president of the court.

She revealed that in the case handling, the tribunal has resolved disputes worth over 60 billion yuan ($8.47 billion), covering not only contract lawsuits but also new types of disputes such as data rights, equity transfer, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

"This reflects Beijing's capital-intensive foreign economic activities, the expansion of its international economic cooperation, and the innovation in business formats," she added.

A rising number of corporate disputes have emerged, particularly among foreign-invested firms, with issues including share transfers, shareholder verification, and buybacks, she said, emphasizing "which highlights growing concerns over investor rights protection."

To efficiently address international commercial disputes and advance opening-up, the tribunal has invited experts with rich overseas mediation experience and has applied information technologies in case handling to provide more convenience for foreign litigants, she said.

In addition, the tribunal has focused more on educating legal talent by collaborating with colleges to strengthen exchanges to make the case handling more professional, she noted.

While calling on judges to increase research on arbitration and international conventions, "we've also encouraged them to attend global commercial forums and academic seminars to understand more about international rules," she added.