On 19 September, a delegation from the provincial Higher People’s Court led by Chen Fengchao, president and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the court visited Haikou Maritime Court. The purpose of the visit was to carry out research and give instructions. The delegation stressed that it was important to provide better-targeted maritime judicial services in support of the country’s key strategies, pursue development with innovation, and further improve the efficiency of our maritime judicial services.

The delegation visited the renovation and conversion works of our office building, our litigation service hall, litigant reception rooms and maritime division. They had cordial conversations with our judges, court staff, and judicial personnel to learn about the work and practices of our court.

At the meeting, Xu Yahui, president and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of our court, made a report on the court’s efforts and achievements in carrying through the spirit of the keynote speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on 13 April and advancing the court’s key pursuits. In recent years, Haikou Maritime Court had been proactively contributing to the country’s overall development. It implemented the guiding ideas of “basing on maritime characteristics, broadening international visions, shouldering responsibilities, and serving the country’s strategies”. The court provided high-quality and high-standard services in support of the building of a free trade zone (port) by issuing opinions on supportive judicial services, promoting the establishment of offshore circuit courts and island tribunals, holding a symposium on the development of cruise and yacht industry, carrying through the strategy of elite maritime trials, and publishing white papers on maritime trials and maintaining websites in both Chinese and English languages. By setting up an innovative team and building an international trial team, the court made great efforts in building an integrated maritime trial team with a steady political stance, good working style, specialized knowledge, high competency, and international horizons.

Chen Fengchao fully recognized Haikou Maritime Court’s new outlook, new changes and new achievements, and proposed four requirements to guide our court’s future work:

First, finding the court’s position in our maritime trial functions, and combining the court’s development with the innovative development of marine law enforcement.

Integrating the new situations, tasks and challenges confronting maritime justice, it was important to identify the new assignments in ocean-related law enforcement under the spirit of the speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on 13 April and the spirit of the No. 12 Central Document. The court should base on its practices and administer maritime justice in support of marine rights protection and development, and provide high-quality and high-standard services to support the country’s major strategies;

Second, making efforts in innovation to promote development and breakthroughs.

The court should make more efforts in the establishment of offshore circuit courts and island tribunals to achieve a scale and system. It should also promote the joint efforts between the provincial higher people’s court and maritime courts in holding symposiums on the provision of judicial services in support of marine economy in order to gain greater social impact;

Third, striving to build an integrated judicial team.

The court should regularly and systematically give themed education and training, hold democratic life meetings, and make preparations for the reviews of themed education. Senior staff should be encouraged and urged to help younger staff improve their competence in case handling and trial research. Efforts should be continually made in promoting education and building a system against corruption. The court should be firm in its political stance while promoting its growth through education.

Fourth, accelerating the improvement in infrastructure and building of a smart court.

The court should full apply information technology to maritime trials and use technology in support of justice administration and case handling. With good judicial services, the court would contribute to the maintenance of marine peace and law enforcement.

Joining the research was Zhang Yuping, vice president of the provincial higher people’s court, and heads of relevant divisions.