Bridging the legal divide

Arbitrators

Cao said the high resolution rate is a testament to the work of the court officials and staff, and also reflects the success of the court's policy of using prestigious members of the Taiwan business community, including three former presidents of the Taiwan Businesspeoples' Association, as arbitrators and jurors.

The arbitrators use their experience and specialized knowledge of industries such as electronics and mechanics to resolve sector-specific cases, and ensure that plaintiffs and defendants receive equal treatment.

"To improve the arbitrators' and jurors' mediation skills, we arrange regular training sessions to help them better understand the laws, regulations, and policies on the mainland," Cao said.

In a previous interview with China Daily, Lin Join-Sane, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, said: "Using businesspeople from Taiwan as arbitrators and jurors is a brilliant move that's an excellent way of settling cases, and also helps cross-Straits relations. It should be promoted across Fujian province.

"Many commercial cases don't have to go to court in the first place, but can be settled through mediation. That's convenient for businesspeople from Taiwan (in Fujian) and improves the efficiency of the court," he said.

According to a statement from the Supreme People's Court, in 2012 the cross-Straits courts signed an agreement on mutual judicial assistance that aims to improve the quality of investigations, the serving of legal papers to defendants, the approval of verdicts, and the transfer of compensation.

By May, 37,423 cases had been handled under the agreement, and the number is rising rapidly, the statement said.

This year, the court in Fujian has helped serve papers to about 50 people on the mainland to alert them of legal proceedings being taken against them in Taiwan, and the authorities in Taiwan have served a similar number of documents to people on the island, according to Cao.

Contact the writer at hena@chinadaily.com.cn