Xinjiang’s effort in advancing Silk Road Economic Belt Legal Service District bears fruit

The Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Northwest China has coordinated efforts to proactively promote the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt Legal Service District, which has effectively resolved nearly 6,000 commercial disputes, according to a press conference held to highlight the two-year progress of the development of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

Designed as a one-stop legal service platform, the Silk Road Economic Belt Legal Service District integrates multiple functions, including trials, prosecution, legal services by lawyers, arbitration, notarization, and judicial appraisal, offering comprehensive legal safeguards for foreign-related entities.

To date, the legal service district has attracted 19 legal service organizations and established partnerships with 35 institutions, with 83 surrounding legal service entities forming a cluster effect. This year alone, the legal service district handled 1,305 foreign-related notary cases, and the Urumqi Arbitration Commission accepted 1,630 cases, representing a 20.1 percent year-on-year increase. These figures reflect market entities' heightened awareness of risk prevention and their growing demand for efficient and professional arbitration services — a demand to which the establishment of the district directly responds.

Beyond its legal service functions, the legal service district has organized 156 legal and business negotiations for domestic organizations, foreign dignitaries, and representatives from various sectors, involving over 2,000 participants. Through these efforts, the district has not only showcased Xinjiang's progress in promoting the rule of law, but also helped build channels for cross-regional legal cooperation, positioning itself as a window showcasing Xinjiang's achievements in law-based governance and a flagship platform for legal services in the region.

To accelerate its development, the Justice Department of Xinjiang has introduced the Implementation Plan for the Development of the Silk Road Economic Belt Legal Service District, promoting the centralization and specialization of foreign-related legal services. This initiative has strengthened the integration of the district's legal service platforms, including the Center for Settlement of Commercial Disputes, the Urumqi International Arbitration Court, the tribunal and circuit tribunals in the Urumqi Area of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Center for Foreign Law Ascertainment, and the comprehensive procuratorial service center, which together help build a one-stop mechanism for international commercial dispute resolution.

Moreover, the district has attracted multiple domestic and international legal service institutions, including the representative office of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, and established eight functional courtrooms to facilitate the alignment of legal service resources.

In terms of cross-departmental collaboration, the Justice Department of Xinjiang has facilitated partnerships between the Tribunal in the Urumqi Area of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone and organizations such as the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Central Asia Mediation Center and the Urumqi International Commercial Mediation Association. These initiatives have ensured multi-channel dispute resolution with enhanced efficiency, with some cases resolved in as few as 29 days, thus providing cost-effective solutions for the parties involved.

In addition, the Justice Department of Xinjiang has established a 40-member foreign-related expert pool, along with a 93-member expert team composed of legal professionals from the Justice Bureau of Urumqi, to provide high-quality foreign-related legal services.

To promote a better synergy between efficient markets and competent government, the Justice Department of Xinjiang has leveraged the legal service district as a platform for dialogue among enterprises, government agencies, legal service institutions and domestic and foreign experts by organizing exchange meetings on opportunities and risk responses for Chinese enterprises going global. The district has established a regular working mechanism for communication, information sharing, and risk alerts among government agencies, Chinese and foreign enterprises, and the legal services industry, serving as a policy guidance and legal service platform for enterprises expanding overseas.

Moving forward, the region's justice department will firmly grasp Xinjiang's strategic positioning within the overall national situation by advancing the development of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone through the rule of law, and fostering the building of a more stable, transparent, and predictable law-based business environment, in a bid to provide robust legal support for Belt and Road cooperation and the strengthening of international economic and trade cooperation.