Specialised financial courts in China: key insights for legal practitioners

Introduction

Over the past decade China has established a number of specialised financial courts to address the growing complexity of legal disputes involving financial institutions and markets. These courts primarily handle financial civil and commercial cases financial administrative cases as well as appeals and retrial petitions related to financial matters. To date three such courts have been set up in mainland China: the Shanghai Financial Court (established on 20 August 2018) the Beijing Financial Court (18 March 2021) and the Chengdu-Chongqing (Chengyu) Financial Court (28 September 2022).

The concentration of financial trials is viewed positively by Chinese authorities as this reform is expected to enhance the international standing of China’s financial industry. However the practical implications of financial courts particularly for legal practitioners warrant further examination. Key issues...