The inauguration of the Hangzhou Court of International Aviation and Maritime Arbitration with the Legal Seminar on the Diversified Resolution of Aviation and Maritime Disputes, was held recently. The inauguration was attended by Xu Xiaobo, a member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Justice of Zhejiang Province; Cheng Xiaodong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hangzhou Municipal Government; Lu Yong, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province; Xu Hui, a Level II Bureau Rank Official from the Department of Transportation of Zhejiang Province; and Wang Zhongxiang, a Level II Bureau Rank Official from Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration. Xu Qian, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Municipal Justice Bureau and the Executive Deputy Director of HZAC, presided over the meeting.

Xu Xiaobo emphasized that the establishment of the Hangzhou Court of International Aviation and Maritime Arbitration is a concrete action to implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and to embody President Xi Jinping’s important directives on arbitration work. It also serves as an effective measure to support Zhejiang’s high-level opening up and the construction of a strong, high-energy, and open province. The court should focus on the goal of being rooted in the province, facing the nation, and radiating globally, maintaining a high starting point and quality, ensuring the healthy development of arbitration work, actively serving the core initiatives, enhancing service capabilities, and striving to build a professional service brand in aviation and maritime arbitration. This will contribute to the high-quality development of foreign-related legal work throughout the province.

Cheng Xiaodong pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has laid out a series of essential directives for the development of the aviation and maritime industries. As a modern, high-end service sector, the high-quality development of these industries not only presents unprecedented strategic opportunities but also urgently demands robust legal safeguards. He added that the Hangzhou Court of International Aviation and Maritime Arbitration must benchmark itself against top international standards and fully leverage its unique locational advantages. It should strive to become a key platform for showcasing Hangzhou’s capabilities in foreign-related rule of law, thereby providing a more solid legal foundation for Hangzhou to become an international integrated transportation hub.

The Legal Seminar on Diversified Resolution of Aviation and Maritime Disputes was presided over by Associate Professor Chen Qi from the School of International Law at East China University of Political Science and Law. Zhao Jin, Deputy General Manager of the Legal Compliance Department of China Eastern Airlines Group and Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Aviation Law Research Association of the China Law Society, delivered a keynote speech on Building an Aviation Arbitration Mechanism under New Aviation Models. Wu Yongqi, Vice President of the Maritime Law Research Association of the Zhejiang Law Society, former full-time committee member of the Ningbo Maritime Court, and senior judge of second grade, delivered a keynote speech on Emphasizing the Uniqueness of Shipping Arbitration to Ensure the Quality of Maritime and Commercial Arbitration.

Chen Qi hosted the Legal Seminar on Diversified Resolution of Aviation and Maritime Disputes

Zhao Jin delivered a keynote speech on Building an Aviation Arbitration Mechanism under New Aviation Models

Wu Yongqi delivered a keynote speech on Emphasizing the Uniqueness of Shipping Arbitration to Ensure the Quality of Maritime and Commercial Arbitration

Nearly 150 participants attended the meeting, including officials from Zhejiang provincial and municipal departments, representatives from cooperative universities, industry institutes, and academic groups, heads from Zhejiang provincial and municipal lawyer associations, representatives of foreign-related lawyers, professional arbitrators in aviation and maritime sectors, and representatives from related enterprises and HZAC.