The Greater Bay Area (GBA) now has another court to handle cross-border business disputes, after the Shenzhen International Commercial Court was officially launched on Friday. According to a statement, the new legal body is part of the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court and is responsible for overseeing first and second instance foreign business litigations.
The commercial court is also charged with processing cases related to the judicial review of arbitration, confirmation of foreign-related mediation agreements, and recognition and implementation of a business dispute ruling or judgement by a foreign court, in addition to any other cases that fall under its jurisdiction.
Speaking to China Daily, the vice-president of the business court, Pang Zheng, said the new legal body would seek to boost its influence internationally through a “boutique strategy” of focusing on specialised areas that would allow it to make high quality rulings and landmark cases.
Meanwhile, Guo Huiqin, a representative at the National People’s Congress, told the media outlet the court would be conducive to “Shenzhen’s goal of building a world-class, market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment.”
She noted the court would help put Shenzhen on the map as “a leading destination” for services relating to the settling of foreign business disputes, bringing mediation, arbitration, and litigation into a “one-stop shop.”
Guo also said the court’s fair and consistent judgements, as well as alignment with global economic rules, would boost the confidence of foreign investors in China and protect the rights of Chinese companies doing business internationally.
[See more: Guangzhou now has a court to handle foreign business disputes]
The creation of the Shenzhen International Commercial Court comes as the city faces an increasing number of cross-boundary business disputes due to growing integration within the GBA.
Between 2021 and 2025, Shenzhen’s courts dealt with 35,516 first instance business cases involving foreigners, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents. These cases covered 62 countries and regions, and are equivalent to more than an eighth of the total recorded nationwide. Meanwhile, 27 of these business cases in Shenzhen were deemed to be models for resolving cross-border disputes within the GBA.
The court’s opening was marked with a ceremony that was attended by various dignitaries, including Zhang Haibo, the president of Guangdong’s Higher People’s Court; Dai Yunlong, the head of the standing committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress, and Zhang Liwei, the president of Shenzhen’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
The Shenzhen International Commercial Court released a document describing the court’s jurisdiction in both Chinese and English and held its first international business dispute hearing after the launch event.
An international business court was also founded in Guangzhou last month. Like its Shenzhen counterpart, the court falls under the larger Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, and is responsible for dealing with an array of foreign business cases that require arbitration, mediation and judgement.
