Chinese courts should uphold reform and innovation so as to help build China into an international maritime jurisdiction center, said Zhou Qiang, head of China’s top court.

Zhou, president of the Supreme People’s Court, chaired a special meeting on the reform and development of legal proceedings in maritime affairs on Dec 4.

Since the launch of its maritime courts in 1984, China has established a professional maritime judicial system, which has processed a number of influential cases and safeguarded the nation’s maritime rights and interests. So far China has heard the largest number of maritime-related cases in the region, becoming the leading maritime jurisdiction center in the Asia-Pacific region.

Zhou said the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed an expansion of China’s maritime presence in order to achieve a far-reaching and long-lasting effect on safeguarding national sovereignty, interests and security.

Chinese courts should step up their capacities in handling maritime-related cases, improve service quality and lift China’s image in maritime jurisdiction, said he.

They should also attach importance to the training of high-quality professional judges familiar with maritime laws and trade practices, and enhance exchanges with law schools and related research institutes, Zhou added.

In addition, he called on Chinese courts to follow the latest developments of the maritime economy and conduct research on problems that emerge under new circumstances.