Chinese courts see surge in foreign-related cases

In 2025, Chinese courts handled approximately 40,000 first-instance civil and commercial cases involving foreign matters, marking a nearly 50 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released by the Supreme People's Court on Monday.

"These figures reflect the courts' ongoing efforts to enhance the effectiveness of foreign-related adjudication and uphold the principle of equal protection for the lawful rights and interests of both domestic and foreign parties," the Supreme People's Court stated. The data underscored a judicial commitment to supporting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and China's dedication to high-level opening-up.

Nationwide, courts handled over 20 million first-instance civil and commercial cases, an increase of more than 11 percent from the previous year. Of these, over 470,000 cases involved intellectual property, showing a rise of more than five percent year-on-year.

Chinese courts also bolstered their support for environmental protection, processing more than 160,000 first-instance civil environmental cases, an increase of over 11 percent from the previous year.

In the criminal justice arena, intensified efforts against offenses led to the processing of over 1 million first-instance criminal cases and the sentencing of more than 1.4 million defendants. Notably, both the number of cases and convicted individuals saw a year-on-year decline.