On 12 Dec. 2022, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the “China Maritime Trial (2018-2021)” (中国海事审判(2018—2021), hereinafter the “White Paper”) in Chinese and English.
The noteworthy aspects in the White Paper are as follows:
1. From 2018 to 2021, Chinese courts accepted 132,633 cases of marine and maritime disputes, maritime administration, maritime crimes, and maritime enforcement, and concluded 133,309 cases.
2. From 2018 to 2021, Chinese courts handling cases of marine disputes accepted 10,397 cases involving foreign elements and 2,693 cases involving Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan elements. The cases covered more than 100 countries and regions. The countries most frequently involved in the above-mentioned cases are the Bahamas, followed by the United States, Singapore, Germany, and Denmark.
3. From 2018 to 2021, a total of 2,717 vessels had been seized by China’s eleven maritime courts, including 105 foreign-flagged vessels and 24 vessels registered in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. 1,252 vessels had been auctioned, including 30 foreign-flagged vessels and 9 vessels registered in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
4. Flag countries on the top lists of seized vessels are Russia, Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, and Vietnam. Flag countries on the top lists of auctioned vessels are Liberia, Panama, Marshall Islands, Belize, and Singapore.
Cover Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
