"The Belt and Road" Ningbo Maritime Court - Yiwu City Center for Connection of Litigation and Mediation and Ningbo Maritime Court (Yiwu) Circuit Court of Appeals was unveiled in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, April 9, 2019.

The center is to mediate maritime affairs and maritime commerce (MA&MC) disputes in Yiwu market, especially freight forwarding disputes, contributing to the Belt and Road development,  and making "Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan" channel open wider.

The People's Mediation Committee of Foreign-Related Disputes of Yiwu City and the Ningbo Maritime Court has established a work mechanism for connection of litigation and mediation with regards to foreign-related MA&MC disputes in Yiwu.

The center will support the committee in improving the mechanism of diversified resolution of MA&MC conflicts and disputes. It will play a better role in resolving foreign-related disputes with the help of the professional legal guidance of the Ningbo Maritime Court. The face-to-face service, telephone, ODR and other platforms will be utilized to assist the settlement of maritime disputes.

Yiwu is now at a critical moment in benchmarking free trade zone, while the Ningbo Maritime Court (Yiwu) Circuit Court of Appeals will offer convenience in litigations for people. Moreover, it makes the exchange of cases easier for the Yiwu People's Court and the Ningbo Maritime Court. The Yiwu People's Court can communicate directly with the Ningbo Maritime Court in dealing with shipping and maritime issues, increasing its efficiency in settling foreign-related cases and freight forwarding cases.

(Executive Editor: Yongliu HE)