The Beijing Fourth Intermediate People’s Court is a recently reformed cross-administrative regional court under a pilot program.

In Dec 2014, the court, together with the Shanghai Third Intermediate People’s Court, was established to hear cross-regional major civil and commercial, administrative, environmental resource protection and food and drug safety cases.

Jiang Bixin, vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court as well as an deputy to the National People’s Congress, said that the cross-administrative regional courts stem from reform of the railway transport court system.

As of now, 30 railway transport courts have already become cross-administrative regional courts and their administrative cases account for 70 to 90 percent of the total number of cases accepted by railway transport courts.

The two cross-regional courts worked to solve the problems in reformative modes and thinking for the promotion of cross-administrative services.

For example, improving administrative dispute settlement mechanisms and responding to essential interest appeals of the parties involved are two of the measures.

In promoting the reform, Wang Qiuliang, president of the Shanghai Third Intermediate People’s Court, said that in the future it will be required to give play to the role of cross-administrative regional court in promoting the unified application of law, the establishment of rules and guidance of social values.