The universities research group of Guangzhou Maritime Court (GZMC) led by President Ye visited the Law Schools of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, South China University of Technology, Sun Yat-sen University and South Normal University from 13 to 18, March. On the morning of March 13th, the research group went to the School of Law of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Dean of the school Yuan Quan held talks with the group on the issues like jointly undertaking important projects, translating foreign laws and international conventions, publicating books, building a practice base for students in GZMC and improve the English ability of GZMC’s crew. Preliminary opinions on signing a framework cooperation agreement were reached. On the afternoon of March 13th, the group reached at the Law School of South China University of Technology, Dean Jiang Wuzhen made deep exchanges with the group in co-establishing a high-level maritime talent mechanism, opening maritime practice courses and offering opportunities of internship for students by GZMC. On the afternoon of March 14th, the research group arrived at the School of Law of Sun Yat-sen University. Dean RenQiang introduced the achievements and future plans of China-British Maritime Law School to the group in detail, and about deepening, broadening and innovating cooperation with GZMC on the basis of it. The two sides also made exchanges in co-investigation, business training and full-English courses for GZMC’s crew as auditors, intelligence support from experts of the School for the trial of complicated cases of GZMC and build a student practice base in GZMC. On the afternoon of March 18th，the research group visited School of Law of South Normal University, Secretary of the Party Committee Yang Xiaosheng and Dean Zhang Yongzhong held talks with the group. They exchanged on the issues of co-editing and co-publishing classical cases of GZMC, student practice base construction and two-way talent cultivation and co-construction and sharing of academy. The group will go to Shenzhen University and Guangzhou Maritime College in the next stage, we hope to reach relevant framework cooperation agreements as soon as possible, to realize the close integration and the promotion of practice and theory, and improve the ability to serve the construction of the Bay Area and create a rule-of-law business environment.  

From March 6 to 8, 2019, Vice Director Yu Mingyong of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou People’s Congress led a team to pay an inspection visit to Zhuhai Dispatched Court of Guangzhou Maritime Court (GZMC). Secretary of Party Leadership Group and President Ye Liudong, Members of the Party Leadership Group Wang Yufei, Li Weipeng and Song Weili and Director Ni Xuewei of GZMC received them. The inspection group came to Zhuhai dispatched court on March 3 where it head Wu Guining elaborated its history, personnel structure, jurisdiction and achievements. The representatives said that it was worthy to be affirmed that the work of the court in an orderly manner and acquired good results despite the poor working condition. The inspection group inspected in Guishan circuit court of the Zhuhai dispatched court on March 7. Representatives agreed that setting a circuit court on the island provides qualified maritime judicial guarantees for the socio-economic development of local and neighboring areas and provides convenience for the settlement of difficulty of litigation and enforcement in maritime disputes. President Ye made a report of recent development of the campaign of “Great Visit, Great Research” launched by GZMC this year to the inspection group, and also presented to the group GZMC’s version and work plan of co-operating with Zhuhai Marine Bureau to establishing a research studio for maritime cases in the Greater Bay Area.Ye said that while ensuring the top priority of case handling, GZMC will make more great efforts to the visit and the research, thence to provide better judicial services by identifying the needs of shipping and harbor administrations and enterprises and taking their advice. Vice Director Yu said that its deserve praise that GZMC understands the need of all parties by exploring and pioneering in the construction of maritime trial center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and by opening the activity of “Greater Visit, Greater Research”. Yu encouraged GZMC to be committed to the activity and down to the grassroots to provide high-quality maritime judicial guarantees for the construction of the Greater Bay Area and marine economic powerful province. Ye thanked Yu for his praise and advice on the work of GZMC and promised we will accelerate the site selection of Zhuhai dispatched court to make it play the role as soon as possible. During the stay in Zhuhai, the inspection team also went to jurisdiction water areas of Zhuhai dispatched court and to the project department of Shenzhong Channel of EMBA to learn the construction process of the island-tunnel project of Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge. Finally, they also pay a visit to the martyrs’cemetery of Guishan Ship landing place with great respect and open the Party day activity.  

On the morning of 1st March, 2019, Guangdong Shipping Law Research Society and the Standing Council of Guangzhou Shipping Law Research Society were successfully held in Guangzhou Maritime Court (GZMC). Nearly 30 Standing Directors from universities, courts, arbitral institutions, law firms and companies attended the meeting. The meeting was presided over by Standing Vice President and professor of South Normal UniversityZeng Erxiu. The academics exchanges activities which were organized or participated by the society and the achievements, as well as the financial revenue and expenditure of it in 2018, were reported by Vice President and Secretary-General Dr Xu Jintang Professor Guo Ping of School of Law of Sun Yat-Sen University was elected as Vice President and DrLiu Jiayi as Director, individual member adjustment was made. Amendment to the regulations of the society were also voted through during the meeting, one which is about the proportion of personnel of the Council and the Standing Council to present themselves at meetings and vote, the second one is about the function and power of the Standing Council when the council was not in session. The theme of this year’s annual conference was confirmed as “Legal Development of Shipping under the Background of the Greater Bay Area” which to be held in 6th, June 2019. The Standing Council discussed the hosts, organizers and co-organizers of the annual meeting and the sources of the fund, and preliminary opinions were formed. Vice President and the Judge of GZMC Ni Xuewei attended the meeting.    

On the afternoon 19th, Jan 2019, Yu Mingyong, Vice Director of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou People’s Congress, led six-people visited Guangzhou Maritime Court(GZMC) and where a meeting was then held. President and Secretary of Party Leadership Group Ye Liudong received them and other Members of the Party Leadership Group were at the meeting. The conference was presided by Director Zheng Liecheng. During the meeting, Vice Director Yue Lian of Judiciary Committee repeated job arrangement of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou People’s Congress that related to GZMC including listening to the first half year work report in June and the whole year work report end of the year, and filing reviewing its published normative documents.  President Ye thanked Vice Director’s visit and reported GZMC’s new work plan to him. Ye pointed out that it’s the great kindness and supervision for the Congress listening to the work report of GZMC twice a year, we will follow the guidance to make trial work in good operation. The CPC central committee and the state council had issued Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan, as we are sitting in an important city in Bay Area, we should grasp the opportunity to give our implementing advice. On behalf of Director Chen Jianhua of the Congress, Yu extended New Year greeting to all members of GZMC, he also said the Bay Area Development Plan outlined a wide developing prospect for Guangzhou and others cities within the Bay Area circle. GZMC should size the valuable opportunity to give a feasible program and put it to implementation thence to build GZMC into a high-level maritime trial center inthe Bay Area.    

Maritime University(DMU) jointly inaugurated for the Sea Law Institute of Dalian Maritime University, Guangzhou Branch and Joint Cultivation Base for JM. Members of the Party Leadership Group of GZMC and Dean Chu Beiping, Party Secretary Xu Yan and Vice Dean Jiang Yuechuan of Law of School of DMU has witnessed this moment. The inauguration was presided by Lin Xiaofeng, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Director of Personnel Department of GZMC. Liu Zhengjiang says DMU being one of the Double First-rate universities with its Law School at the cutting edge of theoretical sea law research, and as GZMC having tried many complicated cases of new types with profound theoretical value and worthy of deep discussion. The two can make a powerful combination to make their contributions as they should to the prosperity and development of Chinese sea law. President Ye Liudong pointed out that the establishment of Sea Law Institute of Dalian Maritime University, Guangzhou Branch has provided an excellent platform for GZMC in judicial theory research and powerful intellectual support for the construction of maritime judicial center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. CZMC will take further measures to make sure the efficient functioning of the branch and the base, striving for more achievements and the cultivation of talents in sea law area which provides professional support and maritime judicial service for the construction of the greater bay area. Vice president Liu Zhengjiang awarded the appointment letters to guest professors Ye Liudong and Wang Yufei and distinguished professor Ni Xuewei. Dean Chu Beiping awarded the appointment letters to practice tutors for JM, they were Song Weili and other ten judges of GZMC.  

On the morning of Jan 15, 2019, the fourth session of the 15th Guangzhou Municipal People’s Congress was held at Century Hall of Guangzhou Baiyun International Conventional Center. Chen Jianhua, congress praesidium routine President, executive chairman, director of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou People’s Congress, presided over the opening meeting and mayor Wen Guohui made a government work report to the Congress. President Ye Liudong of Guangzhou Maritime Court(GZMC) attended it and Vice president Wang Yufei as a nonvoting delegate joined it. Under the leadership of Director Ni Xuewei, judge assistant Quan Xiao, Zhang Weiquan and Chen Wenzhi joined the advisory service group to provide consulting services for the deputies. Focusing on the issues of civil public interest litigation on marine environmental pollution and maritime administrative litigation, they have made adequate preparation for answering it and they also presented the trilingual white paper on maritime trial to the deputies who came for consultation. After the meeting, President Ye and Vice President Wang had friendly exchanges with the deputies and the leaders of the relevant brother courts. In 2018, GZMC received 3378 new cases and closed 3263 cases, with a settlement rate of 85.91% and the amount of settled cases reaching 21.6 billion RMB, the overall quality and efficiency of the trial continues to improve. In 2019, GZMC will continue to focus on the service and guarantee of the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Guangzhou International Shipping Center and vigorously promote the high-quality strategy projects for maritime trial executiveso as to further improve international credibility, competitiveness and influence of maritime judicial practice.  

On Dec. 7, 2018, the founding assembly and the first general assembly of Guangzhou International Shipping Judicial Research Society were held at Guangzhou International Shipping Judicial Research Center conference hall of Guangzhou Maritime Court(GZMC). 19 institutions including GMGA, Guangdong Lawyers Association, Guangzhou Arbitration Commission of China, Law School of South Normal University and CCC Fourth Harbor Engineering CO., Ltd. and so on and more than 100 members and representatives attended the assembly. The first council and board of supervisors were elected in the assembly, Ni Xuewei of GZMC was elected the chairman of the council, Yang Hui, Yang Yunfu and Huang Shan were elected vice chairmen and Xu Chunlong was elected secretary-general. On behalf of GZMC, President Ye Liudong congratulated the establishment of Guangzhou International Shipping Judicial Research Society and said it was another great event and a landmark in the history of shipping judicial construction which marked the theoretical study in the law of shipping construction in our nation had entered a new phase. President Ni Xuewei delivered his inaugural address at the meeting and  requested that all members of the research society should recognize the significance of maritime judicial research in safeguarding the construction the Guangzhou International Shipping Center, and consciously enhance the service awareness and actively respond to the demand of the shipping market. The classical cases sharing session also held during the first general assembly, judges Xu Chunlong, Pingyang Danke, Yang Yaxiao, Luo Chun and Wu Guining shared their undertaken classical maritime cases to all. The purpose of Guangzhou International Shipping Judicial Research Society is to give full play to the function of maritime judicial, show the great legal environment in Guangzhou shipping area and endeavor to promote the international influence so as to provide specialized intelligence service and guarantee for the construction of Guangzhou International Shipping Center.  

The 26th national maritime trial seminar was held at Ningbo city of Zhejiang province on Nov. 22, 2018. Member of the Party Leadership and Vice President Luo Dongchuan of the Supreme People’s Court attended and delivered a speech, and nearly one hundred judges and specialists from maritime trial system of nationwide were also present. President Ye Liudong, Chief Judge Ni Xuewei, Deputy Chief Judge Song Ruiqiu and judge assistant Tan Xuewen were invited to the seminar. During the seminar, Vice President Luo pointed out that the work of maritime trial should provide judicial services and safeguards for our nation, we should strengthen the talent construction in maritime trial field to continuously promote the quality maritime trial strategy thence endeavor to produce knock-out products which can present the maritime trial level of our nation. Besides, we should promote the construction of China International Maritime Judicial Center, and reinforce foreign exchanges and cooperation so as to enhance China’s judicial international influence. Finally, he also emphasized that maritime courts should strengthen informatization and promote the work of maritime trial to a new high. According to the unified deployment of the Supreme People’s Court, the 27th national maritime trial seminar will be held in Guangzhou Maritime Court(GZMC) between June and July in 2019. President Ye made an ebullient speech and promised that GZMC will spare no efforts to prepare for the seminar and strive to organize a high level national maritime trial seminar. There were 92 papers submitted in this seminar and GZMC has got an abundant harvest of it. The article “The Inspection and Improvement of Procedures for Establishment of Limitation Funds for Maritime Claims” won the first prize which was co-writen by Song Ruiqiu and Gengli Jun. The article“The Judgment Rules for Cases Concerning Ownership Disputes Over Ships which Arising From Sale of Ships”won the second prize which was co-writen by Tan Xuewen, Zhang Le, Huang Yaoxin and Shen Han. And other three papers won the excellence award, they are“The Application of Ship Arrest Before Litigation Under ‘Urgent Condition’”which was co-writen by Chen Wenzhi and Lin Yiyi, “The Analysis of Double Sales of Ships and Its Regulations”which was writen by Shen Han, “The Finding of the Objection by Actual Owner of Affiliated Ships” which was co-writen by Wang Yufei and Luo Chun. Deputy Chief Judge Song Ruiqiu and judge assistant Tan Xuewen made speeches and exchanges during the seminar, and they also answered the question from attendees that deepen the study of related issues.  

On the morning of Nov 16, 2018, President Ye Liudong, Chief Judge Ni Xuewei and judge assistant Tan Xuewen of Guangzhou Maritime Court (GZMC) went to Shanghai Maritime University(SMU) to make exchanges on cooperation matters. Several officials of SMU attended the symposium and the signing ceremony, they were Vice President Yan Wei, former Secretary of the Party Committee Yu Shicheng, Dean Wang Guohua and Secretary of the Party Committee Li Xiping and Office Director Shi Yu of School of Law, and the talks and the signing ceremony was hosted by Dean Wang Guohua. In his welcome address, Vice President Yan Wei said that it has been a long cooperation history between GZMC and SMU, some graduates of SMU went to GZMC for the internship since the 1980s and 1990s. As the communication between both sides is being more and more deepen and frequent, he hopes that both parties can strengthen cooperation continually thence to promote the construction of international maritime judicial center. In his speech, President Ye Liudong said that SMU has a long history and fruitful achievements in the teaching and research of Maritime Law, and hopes that with the joint efforts of both sides in the future cooperation, and they make contributions to the construction of marine power to their respective advantages in the areas of maritime authority and maritime institution of higher education. President Ye and his team have visited the history museum of Law of School and moot courts of SMU before the talks and after that, they joined the brief signing and the award ceremony. President Ye and Vice President Yan co-signed the “GZMC and SMU Cooperation Framework Agreement” and “Cooperation Agreement on Practical Base Construction of School of Law of SMU”, and Vice President Yan issued the nameplate “Practical Base of School of Law of SMU” to President Ye.    

The 11th East Asia Maritime Law Forum was held in the 11th-floor conference hall of Guangzhou Maritime Court(GZMC) on Nov. 3, 2018. The forum was jointly organized by Dalian Maritime University(DLMU) Law School and GZMC, over 60 maritime law scholars, maritime judges, maritime lawyers and shipping professionals from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea(ROK) attended it. The theme of the forum includes three aspects: issues related to vessel-sourced marine pollution, issues related to autonomous vessels and latest development of Maritime Law in China, Japan and ROK. Dean Chu Beiping of DLMU Law School and President Ye Liudong of GZMC delivered a welcome speech on behalf of the organizers, and Deputy Chief Judge Wang Shumei of Civil Adjudication Tribunal NO.4 of the Supreme People’s Court was invited to give a keynote speech. Speakers from different countries held a discussion on three issues. Professor Filippo Lorenzon and Proshanto Mukherjee amd associate professor Wang Xin of DLMU Law School submitted the latest research achievements to the forum. Professor Zhu Zuoxian was invited to make a speech on issues related to autonomous vessels, Vice Dean Han Lixin and associate professor Zhang Jinlei were invited to host the discussion of two issues on vessel-sourced marine pollution and the latest development of Maritime Law in several countries. Judge Pingyang Danke of GZMC presided over the discussion on issues related to autonomous vessels of the third section of the meeting which received unanimous praise from the experts. Since its inception in Japan co-sponsored by Law School of Waseda University, Dalian Maritime University and Korea University in 2008, the East Asia Maritime Law Forum has been held annually among Japan, China and ROK. The Forum has grown into an important academic platform for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences and seeking prosperity and development of marine economy for academia, judicial and shipping business communities in maritime law. The success of the Forum will contribute significantly to theoretical study of maritime law, development of maritime legislation and judicial practice, as well as integration and unification of maritime law among East Asian nations. DLMU and GZMC jointly established the “Guangzhou Branch of Dalian Maritime University Maritime Law Research Institute”(Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Maritime Law Research Institute) in July 2018. It is also the first important cooperation for the two sides to jointly organize the East Asia Maritime Law Forum on the basis of the Guangzhou Branch .