Courts in Qingpu district, Shanghai, and Jiashan county, Zhejiang province, have resolved a cross-regional commercial dispute in less than 24 hours through joint mediation and online judicial coordination.

The case was the first of its kind handled in the Yangtze River Delta Ecological and Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone since the Regulations on Commercial Mediation took effect on May 1.

The dispute arose after a manufacturer in Jiashan completed an order for equipment from a trading company in Qingpu but did not receive payment. After repeated requests for payment went unanswered, the manufacturer filed a lawsuit with Jiashan County People's Court seeking full payment.

With the consent of both parties, the Xitang tribunal of the Jiashan court and the case-filing division of Qingpu District People's Court referred the dispute to commercial mediation organizations in Jiashan and Qingpu for joint mediation under a cooperation agreement on non-litigation dispute resolution in the demonstration zone.

The following day, judges from the two areas provided online guidance through a "shared court", helping clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Mediators then helped the companies reach a settlement providing for payment by installments.

The Qingpu court granted judicial confirmation of the settlement the same day, making the agreement legally enforceable. The entire process, from court referral and joint mediation to judicial guidance and confirmation, took less than 24 hours.