- The Supreme People’s Court’s 2025 opinion on the International Commercial Court (CICC) upgrades foreign-related adjudication: model jurisdiction clauses, pre-trial conferences and standardised bilingual procedures.
最高人民法院2025年《国际商事法庭高质量发展意见》升级涉外审判：管辖示范条款、审前会议与标准化中英双语程序。- China is building a cross-border legal-service database and expert participation to make extraterritorial-law ascertainment faster and more accurate.
中国正构建跨境法律服务数据库并引入专家参与，使域外法查明更高效准确。- In 2025 foreign parties chose Chinese maritime courts for disputes with no real China link in 23 cases, signalling rising confidence in China as a dispute venue.
2025年有23件与中国无实际联系的外籍当事人主动选择中国海事法院管辖，显示对中国作为争议地的信心上升。- The SPC handled 21,000 arbitration judicial-review cases (+12.8% yoy) and recognised/enforced 108 overseas awards, while admitting/executing 972 foreign judgments on treaty or reciprocity grounds.
最高法办理商事仲裁司法审查2.1万件（同比+12.8%），承认执行境外仲裁裁决108件，并依条约或互惠承认执行外国判决972件。- A one-stop international commercial dispute platform mediated 155 foreign-related cases, integrating litigation, mediation and arbitration.
一站式国际商事纠纷多元化解平台调解涉外案件155件，诉讼、调解、仲裁有机衔接。- Practical step: draft a clear jurisdiction and arbitration clause, keep bilingual evidence, and use the CICC platform or recognised arbitration for cross-border disputes.
实操建议：拟定清晰的管辖与仲裁条款，留存双语证据，并借助国际商事法庭平台或受认可仲裁解决跨境争议。
Foreign-Related Civil and Commercial Litigation in China: The CICC Mechanism and Extraterritorial-Law Ascertainment (2025–2026) | 涉外民商事审判与域外法查明：最高法国际商事法庭机制（2025–2026）
China is actively shaping itself as a preferred venue for international commercial disputes. Two instruments matter for foreign investors: the Supreme People’s Court’s (SPC) mechanism for the International Commercial Court (CICC), and the evolving system for ascertaining foreign law. The 2025 SPC opinion and the 2026 work report show where the reform is heading.
The CICC upgrade
In September 2025 the SPC issued the *Opinion on Promoting High-Quality Development of the International Commercial Court*, setting out six innovations. It optimises foreign-related jurisdiction by giving the CICC a demonstrative role, improving party-agreed jurisdiction, and publishing a model jurisdiction clause. It refines case management with pre-trial conferences and unified workflow norms. It simplifies the proof of overseas official documents and standardises English versions of common bilingual judicial documents. It strengthens treaty and customary-law application with a filing mechanism for such rulings. And it innovates the tribunal by allowing qualified mainland/HK/Macau expert members as people’s assessors in designated first-instance CICC cases.
Extraterritorial-law ascertainment
A recurring pain point in foreign-related cases is proving what foreign law says. The opinion pushes a cross-border legal-service database to let courts ascertain foreign law efficiently and accurately, and brings expert committee members into the proceedings to give ascertainment assistance. On the ground, 15 provincial courts — Chongqing, Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai and others — have deepened ascertainment cooperation; Guangxi has built an “ASEAN corpus” for judicial application. The direction is “soft connectivity” of rules to serve the western land-sea corridor.
Why parties are choosing China
The 2026 SPC work report shows growing confidence. The Shanghai Maritime Court promoted a model jurisdiction clause; cases where parties contracted for its jurisdiction rose from 361 (2021) to 712 (2025). In 2025, in 23 cases with no real connection to China, foreign parties still chose a Chinese maritime court — a notable vote of confidence. The one-stop international commercial dispute platform mediated 155 foreign-related cases, while litigation, mediation and arbitration were linked.
Enforcement and reciprocity
The SPC handled 21,000 commercial arbitration judicial-review cases (up 12.8% yoy) and concluded 108 applications to recognise/enforce overseas arbitral awards. On treaty or reciprocity grounds it recognised and enforced 972 foreign judgments (up 2x). The Hainan Free Trade Port adapted interim-arbitration innovation and concluded its first foreign-related ad-hoc arbitration case. For foreign investors, this means a Chinese judgment or an award routed through China is increasingly portable abroad, and foreign awards are enforceable here.
Practical steps
- Draft the clause carefully. Use the CICC model jurisdiction clause and a clear arbitration agreement.
- Keep bilingual records. Standardised English judicial documents ease cross-border proof.
- Use the platform. For mid-tier disputes, the one-stop mediation platform can resolve faster than litigation.
- Plan for enforcement. Prefer seats/awards recognised under treaties China applies; document the connection.
- Ascertain foreign law early. Engage experts and the cross-border database before the merits hearing.
涉外民商事审判与域外法查明：最高法国际商事法庭机制（2025–2026）
中国正积极将自己塑造为国际商事争议的首选地。对外国投资者而言，有两件制度工具至关重要：最高人民法院的国际商事法庭（CICC）机制，以及不断演进的域外法查明体系。2025年意见与2026年工作报告揭示了改革方向。
国际商事法庭升级
2025年9月，最高法发布《关于推进国际商事法庭高质量发展 服务保障高水平对外开放的意见》，提出六项创新。它优化涉外管辖，发挥国际商事法庭示范引领作用，完善当事人约定管辖，并发布管辖示范条款。它以审前会议与统一流程规范细化案件管理，简化域外公文书证证明手续，统一常用涉外司法文书的中英双语范本。它强化国际条约与国际惯例适用并建备案机制，并创新法庭运行——允许符合条件的内地及港澳专家委员作为人民陪审员参审特定一审国际商事案件。
域外法查明
涉外案件的一大痛点是证明外国法的内容。意见推动构建跨境法律服务数据库，助力法院高效准确查明域外法，并引入专家委员出庭提供查明协助。实践中，重庆、云南、甘肃、青海等15地法院深化查明合作；广西推进”东盟语料库”司法应用。方向是以规则机制”软联通”服务西部陆海新通道。
当事人为何选择中国
2026年最高法工作报告显示信心上升。上海海事法院推广管辖协议示范条款，约定由其管辖的案件由2021年361件增至2025年712件。2025年有23件与中国无实际联系的外籍当事人仍选择中国海事法院管辖——这是显著的信任投票。一站式国际商事纠纷多元化解平台调解涉外案件155件，诉讼、调解、仲裁有机衔接。
执行与互惠
最高法办理商事仲裁司法审查2.1万件（同比+12.8%），办结申请承认执行境外仲裁裁决108件。依条约或互惠承认执行外国判决972件（同比增2倍）。海南自贸港对接临时仲裁制度创新，审结执结首例涉外临时仲裁案。对外资而言，这意味着经中国路径的判决或裁决日益可在境外流通，外国裁决也可在华执行。
实操步骤
- 谨慎起草条款。 使用国际商事法庭管辖示范条款与清晰的仲裁协议。
- 留存双语记录。 标准化英文司法文书便利跨境举证。
- 善用平台。 中等争议可经一站式调解平台更快解决。
- 规划执行。 优先选择中国适用的条约项下可获承认的仲裁地/裁决，并留存连接点证据。
- 尽早查明外国法。 在实体审理前引入专家与跨境数据库。
Practitioner Quick Reference
- CICC model clause: use the SPC’s model jurisdiction clause for international commercial disputes.
国际商事法庭示范条款：涉外商事争议采用最高法管辖示范条款。 - Bilingual records: standardised English judicial documents ease cross-border proof.
双语记录：标准化英文司法文书便利跨境举证。 - One-stop platform: mediation resolved 155 foreign-related cases; faster than pure litigation.
一站式平台：调解涉外案件155件，快于纯诉讼。 - Enforcement is real: 972 foreign judgments recognised; 108 overseas awards enforced in 2025.
执行可行：2025年承认外国判决972件、执行境外裁决108件。 - Ascertain foreign law early: use the cross-border database and expert committee members.
尽早查明外国法：用跨境数据库与专家委员。
Common Pitfalls
- Vague clauses: an unclear jurisdiction/arbitration clause invites forum fights.
条款含糊：管辖或仲裁条款不清易引发管辖争议。 - No bilingual evidence: poor documentation slows extraterritorial-law proof.
无双语证据：材料不足拖慢域外法查明。 - Wrong seat choice: picking a non-recognised seat hurts later enforcement.
仲裁地选错：选非受认可地不利后续执行。
2026 Watchlist
- CICC precedents: watch model-clause and treaty-application rulings from the International Commercial Court.
国际商事法庭先例：关注管辖示范条款与国际条约适用的裁判。 - Hainan ad-hoc arbitration: more foreign-related interim-arbitration cases may be concluded.
海南临时仲裁：更多涉外临时仲裁案或将审结。 - Judgment reciprocity: the recognised foreign-judgment count is growing — track recognised seats.
判决互惠：被承认外国判决数量增长——跟踪受认可仲裁地。
Key Figures
- 21,000: commercial arbitration judicial-review cases in 2025 (+12.8% yoy).
2.1万件：2025年商事仲裁司法审查案件（同比+12.8%）。 - 108: overseas arbitral awards recognised and enforced.
108件：承认并执行的境外仲裁裁决。 - 972: foreign judgments recognised/enforced on treaty or reciprocity grounds.
972件：依条约或互惠承认执行的外国判决。 - 155: foreign-related cases mediated on the one-stop platform.
155件：一站式平台调解的涉外案件。
Sources