An Austrian national recently presented an English-language letter of appreciation to the judges of the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court after receiving a court ruling confirming the validity of a mediation settlement agreement.
In the letter, the person, surnamed Wei, thanked the judges and mediators for resolving the dispute efficiently and protecting the lawful rights and interests of Chinese and foreign parties on an equal footing.
This marked the first foreign-related commercial dispute resolved through mediation by the Chaoyang District People's Court, with the support of property preservation measures, under the framework of the Beijing International Demonstration Zone for Integrated Legal and Commercial Services.
The successful resolution showcases the court's continued efforts to improve its diversified dispute resolution mechanism by integrating the demonstration zone platform with pre-litigation mediation and judicial confirmation.
The demonstration zone is a specialized functional area established by the Beijing municipal government to advance the high-standard opening-up and promote the high-quality development of producer services.
With the core areas of the Beijing Central Business District (CBD) in Chaoyang district and the Lize Financial Business District in Fengtai district serving as its initial development areas, the zone was officially inaugurated on Dec 19, 2025.
Since the establishment of the demonstration zone, the Chaoyang court has supported its development with high-quality judicial services.
The dispute in question arose from a cross-border financing arrangement in 2024. A company based in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provided a loan to a company from the Philippines, with Wei, the latter's de facto controller, acting as a joint and several guarantor.
After the borrower failed to repay the loan in full upon maturity, the Hong Kong company filed a lawsuit to the Chaoyang court and at the same time applied for property preservation.
The court placed a property owned by Wei in Chaoyang district under seal and referred the case to pre-litigation mediation. Zhao Hongying, a mediator, and Zhou Jianbin, deputy chief judge of the court's second civil division, explained the relevant laws to the parties and helped them narrow their differences.
The parties subsequently reached a settlement agreement, and Wei immediately made the first payment. Satisfied with Wei’s commitment to fulfilling the agreement, the applicant submitted a request to lift the preservation order.
After promptly reviewing the request, Zhou went to the local real estate registration center to complete the procedures for releasing the property from the seal. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
Cross-border commercial disputes have long posed challenges to cooperation between Chinese and foreign business entities.
Given the concentration of foreign-related entities and frequent cross-border investment within its jurisdiction, the Chaoyang court has worked with the Beijing CBD Administrative Committee and the Beijing Association for Alternative Dispute Resolution to establish a coordinated dispute resolution mechanism.
This mechanism engages retired judges with extensive commercial experience as mediators, drawing on their expertise in cross-border commercial rules and foreign-related transaction practices.
With judges providing guidance both online and in person, this initiative has created a one-stop service platform that integrates the demonstration zone, pre-litigation mediation and judicial confirmation to efficiently resolve cross-border commercial disputes.
Over the past six months, the Chaoyang court has conducted circuit adjudications and tailored legal outreach programs for enterprises in the demonstration zone every month to improve the zone's business environment and the integration of its legal and commercial services.
Xu Dong, vice-president of the court, said the court would continue to strengthen its commercial adjudication capacity to build a business-friendly Chaoyang.
By leveraging the advantages of the demonstration zone, the court will help foster an internationalized business environment in the nation’s capital with high-quality judicial services, Xu added.
