Guangxi deepens the construction of foreign-related rule of law: escorting the “Belt and Road” with “soft connectivity” of judicial rules

China News Service, Nanning, September 23 (Lin Hao, Xiao Jingfeng) In recent years, Guangxi, as the forefront of open cooperation with ASEAN, has seen an increasing demand for foreign-related legal rule. Recently, the "Belt and Road Legal Collaboration" and foreign-related rule of law construction themed interview team visited Nanning, Liuzhou, Qinzhou, and Chongzuo City. From arbitration institutions to border mediation front lines, they learned about Guangxi's innovative approach to "soft connectivity" with judicial rules to escort the joint construction of the "Belt and Road".

Nanning: Diversified dispute resolution system moves towards the international stage

As a hub city for China-ASEAN cooperation, Nanning, Guangxi has seen an increasing number of cross-border commercial disputes involving ASEAN in recent years. In order to improve the international level of arbitration and mediation, the Nanning Arbitration Commission (Nanning International Arbitration Court) has recruited 32 foreign arbitrators and 18 Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan arbitrators, and hired international experts as think tank members to build a multilingual AI legal service platform to achieve "domestic + foreign-related" dual-track services.

"At the beginning of this year, we officially entered the mediation platform of Nanning Intermediate People's Court to achieve full-process coordination of case diversion, mediation confirmation, arbitration and adjudication connection, and document execution. We are also working with the Malaysian Asian Multi-Dispute Resolution Institute, Guangxi University Law School and other units to jointly train international mediators." said Yan Hui, deputy secretary-general of the Nanning Arbitration Commission.

The Nanning Court of International Arbitration also jointly issued the "Opinions on Jointly Establishing a "One-Stop" Diversified Resolution Working Mechanism for Litigation and Mediation of Foreign-Related Commercial Disputes" with relevant units to break down the institutional barriers between arbitration and litigation.

In a 170 million yuan guaranteed debt dispute involving multiple parties from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Indonesia and other places, the Nanning Arbitration Commission issued a ruling that clarified the repayment and guarantee responsibilities, which was more efficient than litigation procedures and was recognized by the parties to the case. It reflected the professionalism and flexibility of foreign-related arbitration.

Yan Hui said that Nanning Arbitration’s diversified dispute resolution system has become a benchmark for Guangxi’s arbitration industry. Among them, Nanning Arbitration mediated five cases involving Malaysian economic and trade contract disputes, with the subject matter involved exceeding 2 million yuan, effectively resolving foreign-related commercial conflicts in a non-litigation manner.

Liuzhou: ASEAN country legal corpus reduces the risks of companies going overseas

The Liuzhou Foreign-related Legal Research Center is jointly established by Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou Justice Bureau and Liuzhou Law Society. It relies on the university’s Vietnamese, Indonesian and Thai teaching staff, AI technology accumulation and legal discipline advantages to focus on Liuzhou’s pillar industries such as automobiles and machinery to meet the legal needs of the ASEAN market.

Hu Jie, director of the Liuzhou Foreign Legal Research Center, said that when Liuzhou automobile companies develop the ASEAN market, they often encounter problems such as inconsistent terminology translation and lack of standard bilingual versions of product supporting documents. The construction of the ASEAN country legal corpus can help companies quickly search for corresponding national legal rules when signing contracts and investing, and reduce the risks of going overseas.

Currently, the Liuzhou Foreign Legal Research Center is systematically collecting and translating legal provisions and industry practices in ASEAN countries, and launching a special study on Laos' national laws.

Qinzhou: New online dispute resolution model improves dispute resolution efficiency

Qinzhou City is the location of the international gateway port of Beibu Gulf. In order to serve the development of port logistics, cross-border manufacturing and other industries, the Qinzhou Arbitration Commission promotes the establishment of an online dispute resolution model, supporting online case filing, video remote hearings, and blockchain certificate storage.

"Currently, foreign-related commercial disputes in Qinzhou can be filed online, held via video hearing, and delivered electronically. Foreign parties do not need to travel to and from Qinzhou, which greatly improves the efficiency of resolving various disputes." said Chen Gerui, secretary-general of the Qinzhou Arbitration Commission.

Chongzuo Pingxiang: Legal service workstation flexibly resolves foreign-related disputes

In Pingxiang City, Chongzuo, a border town between China and Vietnam, the Puzhai People's Mediation Committee for Foreign-related Disputes relies on the China-Vietnam Legal Service (Puzhai) Workstation to actively carry out mediation work and resolve foreign-related disputes on the front line of the border.

Chen Jianxiang, a Vietnamese mediator who has participated in mediation work for many years, said: "Many Vietnamese merchants are unfamiliar with Chinese laws, but I am familiar with the thinking habits and customs of Vietnamese merchants, and can accurately interpret Chinese legal regulations and dispel their concerns."

Zhou Meichu, director of the People's Mediation Committee for Foreign-related Disputes in Pingxiang Puzhai, also said that foreign-related mediation must not only adhere to the legal bottom line, but also respect the border trade practices of the two countries. Conducting mediation work through flexible means can not only effectively resolve foreign-related disputes, but also repair the relationship between the parties to the case and create conditions for trade prosperity.

Since the establishment of the China-Vietnam Legal Services (Puzhai) Workstation, it has resolved 519 foreign-related commercial and trade disputes, involving an amount of more than 47 million yuan.