From 4 to 8 June 2018, a delegation from Haikou Maritime Court led by Zhong Aiping, member of our special committee, visited Ningbo Maritime Court and its Zhoushan Division, Xiamen Maritime Court and the Higher People’s Court of Fujian Province. The purpose of the visits was to conduct research on how to strengthen maritime jurisdiction and enhance the competencies of maritime judicial services in support of the building of a free trade zone (port).

The research was centred on three issues: the policies, measures and innovations adopted by each court in support of the building of free trade zones; new situations and problems encountered in supporting the building of free trade zones as well as their solutions; experience and practices in improving staff development and trial competency. Based on the research results, we have summed up the following characteristics of the courts’ practices:

I. Maintaining a high position and raising service awareness.

Each court has actively fulfilled their functions in keeping with the country’s development, and has released a series of opinions on judicial services support. Ningbo Maritime Court has issued the Opinions on Providing Maritime Judicial Services and Support for the Building of A Pilot Free Trade Zone in (Zhejiang) China, Xiamen Maritime Court has drafted Several Opinions on Building Xiamen Free Trade Port, and the Higher People’s Court of Fujian has issued the Opinions on Services and Support Provided by Fujian Courts for the Building of a Pilot Free Trade Zone in (Fujian) China. These opinions and advice fully exemplify the courts’ awareness of the big picture and their sense of responsibility, while demonstrating the significant role of judicial trials in the building of free trade zones.

II. Making clear goals and accurately targeting services at the innovative development of free trade zones.

As each free trade zone has its unique function and position, we should provide accurately targeted judicial trials based on practices. For example, Ningbo Maritime Court has formulated special provisions mainly for green petrochemical industry and the supply of fuel oil. The Higher People’s Court of Fujian has laid down major provisions about financial trade, especially the trade with Taiwan.

III. Perfecting systems and providing strong institutional support.

Each court has made breakthroughs in its judicial support with institutional innovations. Ningbo Maritime Court has perfected its maritime trial mechanism, refined judgment rules, improved the smart court system, enhanced the cooperative mechanism, and promoted various solutions to maritime disputes. The Higher People’s Court of Fujian has improved its trial mechanism, implemented a system of centred jurisdiction of cases, enhanced trial management mechanism, put in place expert consultation and an assessors’ system, and facilitated procedures to ascertain foreign laws.

IV. Improving staff development and continuously enhancing soft power in judicial trials.

As human factor is key to judicial trial function, each court has highly valued the development of staff. Ningbo Maritime Court has set a goal of “proficiency in foreign languages, broader international visions, and bigger impact”. Accordingly, it has meticulously launched a VIA program, which combines VOICE, INSIGHT and ADDRESS, to build an integrated elite maritime trial team that has legal competency, professionalism and English skills. Its efforts have achieved remarkable results. Xiamen Maritime Court has aimed at building an elite team and adopted regular training, field practices, targeted training and various other training platforms. It has trained integrated legal expert talents who know well Chinese laws and relevant international treaties and practices, have knowledge of international trade and shipping, and have rich experience in trials and foreign language competencies.