SHANGHAI - A special Expo Court has settled 14 cases since Expo 2010 Shanghai opened on May 1. The court is a tribunal set up by the city's high court to smooth the settlement of civil and commercial disputes that take place in the Expo Garden.

The average processing time of the 14 cases - 13 of which were settled through mediation and one through judgement - is 25 days, significantly time saving compared with normal legal procedures, which typically take several months, said court officials at a press conference on Thursday.

The fastest mediation was wrapped up in one day, a rate rare among courts across the city, said Chen Xueming, head of the Expo Court.