SZ enhances legal support for firms

Officials attend yesterday's press conference. Shenzhen Government Online

The Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) has recruited 46 arbitrators from the international community to better help Shenzhen-based companies solve their overseas commercial disputes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At present, the court has a total of 385 registered arbitrators from areas outside China, said An Xin, SCIA’s deputy director at a news conference yesterday morning.

With a growing number of cases seen in Western countries, it is expected that more cases on overseas commercial disputes will be seen in the near future, said An.

In order to help troubled firms to get through this difficult time, the SCIA will also provide different discount rates for arbitration fees based on situations. The fee reductions are expected to total 380 million yuan (US$53.7 million) this year.

The city has applied the law-based concept in its epidemic prevention and control efforts, said Jiang Xilin, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Justice Bureau.

The bureau distributed three letters to people arriving in Shenzhen, businesses and residents in Shenzhen, at the early stage of the virus fight to provide legal guidance in simple language.

Additionally, they organized 75 service teams consisting of 402 lawyers to provide assistance in 74 subdistricts, 662 residential compounds across the city and in Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone.

At the same time, the Shenzhen Municipal Traffic Police Bureau has issued 10 measures, including promoting online administration services, suspending observation for cars going to eastern tourist areas, and introducing motorcycles for officers to conduct daily patrols, to ensure safe travels for residents during the epidemic.

In response to citizens’ complaints about traffic jams recently seen across the city, Feng Xinyi, deputy director of the Shenzhen Municipal Traffic Police Bureau, suggested that it is partly due to the fact that the city has not reset travel limits for cars with plates registered outside Shenzhen and the schools resuming classes.

However, Feng said that it is still not the time to limit cars with license plates registered outside Shenzhen because this will put pressure on the public transportation system, which will further risk a second wave of the epidemic.

Shenzhen traffic police officers will continue strengthening daily patrols to ensure smooth traffic on roads, especially at times when students are entering and leaving schools, according to Feng.

The last batch of K12 students, years 1 to 3 pupils, will return to school next Monday.

Ma Hongyan, deputy director of the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau, said that the bureau will check environmental safety both on campus and at its surrounding areas to ensure the safety of students.