A judicial officer holds the national emblem of China in Jiangjunmu village, Xingtai county, Hebei province, Dec 2, 2014. [Photo/IC]

The First Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court heard its first dispute on Monday in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, a move designed to ease the burden on the country's top court.

The petitioner, a high-tech company, appealed to the SPC after the higher people's court in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region denied a motion asking a machinery company to bear the liability for breach of contract worth more than 300 million yuan ($48 million).

To ease the pressure on the top court, the SPC opened the country's first two circuit courts, in Shenzhen and Shenyang, Liaoning province.

The move is part of judicial reforms designed to prevent local governments from interfering in cases and to provide a more convenient service for litigants.