To implement the strategic decisions of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on strengthening foreign-related legal frameworks and to advance the development of overseas interest protection mechanisms for Jiangsu’s “going global” enterprises, Wang Yun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of Nanjing Maritime Court, recently led a delegation to the Jiangsu Lawyers Association for a symposium and research exchange. The meeting was chaired by Wang Xiaoqing, Vice President of the Jiangsu Lawyers Association.
"As of the end of 2023, our province has established 23 overseas legal service centers, forming a global legal service network covering countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. The northern route includes Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the western route extends to the UAE, and the southern route encompasses Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and others. These centers have provided robust support for over 230 enterprises in successfully launching overseas projects, handled more than 5,600 legal consultations, participated in over 110 foreign-related litigation cases, and conducted over 20 country-specific legal studies," Wang Xiaoqing highlighted the significant achievements of Jiangsu’s "Overseas Centers" service model since its inception in 2017. He also noted challenges faced during the development of these centers.
Representatives from overseas legal service centers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Germany, Singapore, and Ethiopia shared updates on their operations and talent development. Participants unanimously expressed hope that Nanjing Maritime Court could offer more judicial guidance in resolving foreign-related disputes, particularly in areas such as jurisdictional clarity for cross-border cases and the recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions in non-treaty countries, to help “going global” enterprises mitigate potential legal risks.
Wang Yun emphasized that Jiangsu Province possesses inherent regional advantages and a strong industrial foundation, especially in shipbuilding and foreign trade. Ensuring precise and efficient judicial services to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Jiangsu enterprises in overseas operations is a critical task for maritime justice. Over the past five years, Nanjing Maritime Court has achieved notable progress in adjudicating maritime and commercial cases. As a key participant in advancing foreign-related rule of law, the court and the Jiangsu Lawyers Association must strengthen collaboration in professional capacity building and talent development to jointly safeguard the interests of Jiangsu’s “going global” enterprises and provide robust legal support for their international expansion.
During the meeting, Nanjing Maritime Court discussed enhancing resource sharing in foreign law research through its Collaborative Innovation Center for Foreign-related Maritime Justice and explored cooperation with overseas legal service centers to improve the efficiency of foreign law verification. Both sides also exchanged views on information sharing for overseas document service and consular authentication, as well as joint training programs for foreign-related lawyers and judges, reaching multiple consensus points.
Attendees included Li Zhijiang, Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Lawyers Association; Shen Yan, Chief Judge of the Maritime Division of Nanjing Maritime Court; representatives from relevant professional committees of the Jiangsu Lawyers Association; heads of overseas legal service centers; and judges and judicial assistants from the Maritime Division of Nanjing Maritime Court.
