Shanghai has solidified its position as a leading global hub for resolving international commercial disputes, according to senior officials from the city’s courts. This development comes as Chinese courts, with Shanghai at the forefront, have been recognized for their fairness and efficiency in handling such cases. The World Bank’s recent business ranking placed Chinese courts second in public recognition and third in perceived fairness among 103 global economies, highlighting Shanghai’s pivotal role in this achievement. Lu Weimin, deputy secretary of the Party leadership group and vice-president of the Shanghai High People’s Court, emphasized the city’s commitment to enhancing the quality and efficiency of foreign-related commercial trials, ensuring equal protection for both domestic and foreign investors. The establishment of the Shanghai International Commercial Court in December 2024 has been a cornerstone of this progress. In the first three quarters of 2025, the court handled 1,600 cases involving foreign commercial disputes and arbitration judicial reviews, with a total disputed amount exceeding 21.5 billion yuan ($3.02 billion). Parties involved in these cases hailed from 39 countries and regions. One notable case involved the efficient resolution of a Mongolian arbitration award application within 39 days, which was recognized as a typical example involving the Belt and Road Initiative by China’s Supreme People’s Court. To bolster its professional adjudication capabilities, the court established an international commercial expert committee, initially appointing 20 high-level experts, including eight from overseas. The Shanghai Maritime Court also reported an increase in cases, with 544 first-instance maritime cases accepted in the first three quarters of 2025, marking a nearly 20 percent increase. In terms of rulemaking, seven cases from Shanghai courts have been included in the official case database of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, providing a Chinese model for the accurate application of international conventions. The Shanghai International Commercial Court concluded the country’s first case referencing a document of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods in February, contributing a Chinese example for the global uniform application of the convention. Additionally, Shanghai courts have excelled in the digitalization of cross-border litigation services, achieving a 100 percent electronic service rate for newly filed cases, with online hearings used in nearly 80 percent of them. The Shanghai Maritime Court explored a mechanism of comprehensive authorization for overseas litigation entities, which has been applied in 400 cases and reduced average processing time by about 30 days and litigation costs by nearly 10,000 yuan per case. Werner Schuppisser, a Swiss national and cofounder of a company bringing Swiss ice cream to Shanghai, shared his positive experience with the Shanghai Jing’an district court, which helped resolve a dispute and saved his company. Schuppisser praised the professionalism, efficiency, and impartiality of the Shanghai judges, which he believes provides a business environment that allows his firm to continue to grow.