Intl. arbitration court handles record new cases in 2024

The Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA), based in Qianhai, handled a record high of over 14,500 new cases in 2024, according to its 2024 arbitration work report released yesterday.

The report indicates that the total dispute amount across these cases reached 142.26 billion yuan (US$19.46 billion). This included 158 cases with dispute amounts exceeding 100 million yuan, marking a 19.7% increase from the previous year. 

Of these cases, 13,263 were successfully concluded, representing a 43.61% year-on-year increase. Additionally, the average handling time for each case, from initiation to resolution, was 85.63 days, which is 9.87 days faster than last year.

A major highlight of SCIA’s work in the past year was the adoption of digital technologies. In 2024, all cases accepted by SCIA were filed online. A total of 4,709 court sessions were conducted online, and 168,296 judicial documents were delivered to litigants via online channels, marking surges of 41.03% and 63.46%, respectively. Furthermore, 180,714 arbitration documents in Chinese and English were generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

Liu Xiaochun, president of the SCIA, leads the spring reception with a welcoming address. Photos courtesy of SCIA

Liu Xiaochun, president of SCIA, revealed that SCIA began using technology 24 years ago to enhance the informatization of arbitration and provide more convenient services for litigants.

“In 2015, we started considering how to use AI to help arbitrators find relevant applicable laws more accurately, assist the arbitration tribunal in distinguishing between the similarities and differences of analogous cases, and enable litigants to choose the arbitrators that best meet their needs. At yesterday’s Council meeting, we decided to rename SCIA’s Internet Arbitration Office as the Intelligent Arbitration Office, adhering to the principles of greater transparency, greater accuracy, and greater convenience to assist both Chinese and foreign litigants in resolving disputes more efficiently and intelligently,” Liu stated.

Attendees engage in insightful discussions and networking at the spring reception.

According to Anthony Neoh, vice chairman of the SCIA Council, a major task for SCIA this year is to enhance international promotion. “We are in discussions with an arbitration committee in Silicon Valley to hold a technical seminar, alternating locations each year between Shenzhen and the U.S. We hope to successfully host this seminar this fall,” he explained, adding that SCIA aims to establish closer connections with judicial and arbitration institutions in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao to boost litigants’ confidence in its services and promote its practices globally.