Nansha holds remote session on commercial dispute

Guangzhou’s Nansha district has opened a cross-border remote court to deal with a sales contract dispute, setting a precedent of long-range video hearings for international commercial arbitration.

The case, involving a locally-famous brand of mineral water in Cambodia, was completed by Guangzhou Arbitration Commission within just 15 days.

“This is not only a commercial dispute,” said Li Dong, the arbitrator elected by both parties. “It concerns the friendly commercial intercourse between China and Cambodia as well as the legalization image of Guangzhou’s -- even China’s -- business environment.”

He added that the business’s value is not that high, which meant it was not necessary to call the two parties to show up. The high-definition video transmission technology and the court trial rules helped to save their costs of transportation and accommodation, demonstrating the convenience and efficiency of the internet in international arbitration.

After two hours, the hearings came to an accommodation. The opposite sides even achieved the deal which had been their initial intent.

“The case finally achieved a good result that guaranteed both sides’ rights and interests, and it didn’t adversely affect the cooperative relations between the two countries,” said Lu Hefeng, a leader from the Guangzhou Business Center.

The economic and trade relationship between China and Cambodia is getting closer. The transaction volume of bilateral trade exceeded $7.39 billion in 2018, with a year-on-year increase of 27.6 percent.

“We recognized that arbitration plays a unique role in fostering a legalized business environment and promoting discursive power in international legal affairs,” said Jiang Lan, director of the Nansha International Arbitration Center of the Guangzhou Arbitration Commission.

The commission accepted 216 foreign-related cases this year up to Nov 15. It has ranked in the top three across China for years.