Zhou Qiang (center), chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court of China, meets with the team representing the appellate body of WTO led by Ujal Singh Bhatia (second from left) in Beijing on August 17.

The head of China's top court met with a delegation from the appellate body of the WTO led by Ujal Singh Bhatia in Beijing on August 17.

Zhou Qiang, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, spoke highly of the appellate body for its resolutions of global trade disputes since its establishment in 1995.

Zhou said China is well aware of the improvements in the international trade dispute settlement mechanism, and supports and expects the WTO to play a bigger role in protecting the international trade and investment environment.

Internet-based and other high-tech cases are new challenges facing all countries around the world, said Zhou.

Courts of various levels in China are undergoing deep reform to improve their judicial capability and competence, according to Zhou.

He added that smart courts help to improve quality, efficiency and credibility in case handling.

Zhou said that the SPC is willing to work with the appellate body of the WTO in information exchanges, personnel training and case study among other areas of interest.

China will make new contributions to the international trade dispute settlement mechanism in a fair and equal manner.

Bhatia spoke highly of the achievements made by China's courts in judicial reform, information construction and judicial transparency, among other areas.

He said the appellate body of the WTO will work more closely with the SPC to create deeper and more extensive exchanges.

Both sides can help to better solve international trade disputes and contribute to economic globalization.