Recently, the “Judiciary and Arbitration” Forum, alongside the Sixth China Maritime Justice and Arbitration Summit of the 2024 North Bund Forum were held in Shanghai. Yu Jianlong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT); Jia Yu, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the Shanghai High People’s Court; Xu Huili, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government; and Lars Lange, Secretary-General of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.
The forum released the “Shanghai Maritime Court’s Report on Trials for Supporting High-quality Development of Maritime Arbitration (2014–2024)”. This report provides a systematic overview of the Shanghai Maritime Court’s adjudication of maritime arbitration-related cases. It selects ten representative cases and presents them from the perspectives of case facts, judicial initiatives, and adjudication experience, thereby informing the public of the court’s efforts to support the high-quality development of maritime arbitration.
The report indicates that from 2014 to the present, the majority of arbitration-related cases involved applications to set aside arbitral awards, applications to enforce arbitral awards, and property attachment during arbitration proceedings. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in applications for the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. The Shanghai Maritime Court, adhering to the principle of “favoring enforceability,” has conducted legal reviews of these cases and, with few exceptions, has upheld the validity of arbitration clauses and awards, reflecting its respect for and support of arbitration.
Jia Yu stated that Shanghai courts will continue to broaden international perspectives, provide firm judicial support for arbitration development, enhance specialized adjudication capabilities, vigorously advance digital reforms, and explore new models for organic convergence of litigation and arbitration. He further emphasized that the courts will uphold an open and inclusive spirit to steadfastly support the growth of arbitration.