China is making significant strides in enhancing its maritime legal framework and judicial capabilities to bolster the high-quality development of its marine economy and solidify its position as a global leader in resolving international maritime disputes. Zhang Jun, President of the Supreme People’s Court, emphasized these developments during a report presented to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body. The report underscores the evolution of China’s maritime adjudication system, which now handles the largest and most diverse array of maritime disputes worldwide. Since the inception of maritime courts over four decades ago, the number of cases has skyrocketed from 18 in 1984 to an estimated 34,400 in 2024. The scope of these cases has expanded beyond traditional maritime trade and shipping to include emerging sectors such as marine resource development, environmental protection, port construction, and cultural tourism. Notably, disputes related to offshore wind power and marine ranching have seen a sharp rise. Over the past 40 years, 88,000 cases have involved foreign parties, with an increasing number of international litigants opting to bring their disputes to Chinese courts, even when the cases have no direct connection to China. For instance, a maritime cargo transportation dispute involving Chile, Turkiye, and Singapore was successfully mediated by the Dalian Maritime Court in Liaoning province. Similarly, the Qingdao Maritime Court in Shandong province mediated a settlement in an oil tanker dispute involving parties from six countries, allowing the continuation of the ship sale contract. The new Greek shipowner renamed the tanker ‘Respect’ to honor China’s legal system. Zhang Jun highlighted the maturity of China’s specialized maritime adjudication system, noting its significant increase in case numbers, diversification in case types, and enhanced international influence. However, he also pointed out new challenges as China transitions from a major maritime nation to a maritime power. While the number of foreign-related disputes is substantial, the proportion of cases involving only foreign litigants remains low. Zhang called for intensified efforts in resolving disputes in shipping service sectors such as marine insurance, ship financing, and charter party contracts. He also stressed the need to optimize the maritime legal framework in response to the rapid development of emerging marine industries, including offshore renewable energy, deep-sea aquaculture, new offshore engineering technologies, and marine carbon credit trading. Zhang announced plans to formulate judicial interpretations for maritime laws and release notable cases to improve the rule of law environment for the marine economy. Additionally, bilingual and multilingual white papers on maritime adjudication will be released, and an English-language database of maritime cases along with a cross-border legal service mechanism will be established. Revisions to the Special Maritime Procedure Law and the development of relevant judicial interpretations are also on the agenda.