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New
Court to Handle Foreign Business Disputes
A special
team of judges in Beijing has been called in to deal with
expected international cases involving transnational disputes,
now that China has entered the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The bench,
the first of its kind in the capital's local court system,
was set up earlier this month by the Beijing No 2 Intermediate
People's Court and is expected to be a model for other local
courts around the capital and around the country, said Li
Ke, president of the court.
The new
bench will handle cases concerning loan contracts, international
transport contracts and disputes involving credit letters,
international co-operation and trading involving foreigners.
The court's
publicity department official Gao Zhihai, said on Monday that
the bench is expected to start its operation soon after Spring
Festival -- the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year.
The bench
will help further regulate the judgment of international cases
conforming to WTO rules to ensure a "transparent, just
and efficient" judicial environment, said Li.
Yang Xiaoyong,
the newly appointed bench chief, said the new bench will stick
to the principles of "market accession, transparency
and national treatment," which are universally recognized
by WTO members, to better protect the legal interests of both
domestic and foreign parties.
Still,
more needs to be done. "Qualified judges are essential
for achieving justice," said Li.
The bench
staff has been busy studying past international cases, international
laws and WTO regulations since last September to better prepare
for their future tasks, the president said.
The court
also plans to send some bench members abroad to learn and
gain foreign judicial experience in this field.
The number
of transnational cases has increased in recent years bringing
more experience to the bench, said Yang, although he noted
that the bench still urgently needs more professional judges
with a good knowledge of international law and WTO rules.
(China Daily February 5, 2002)
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