Zhou Qiang, chief justice of the SPC, had a tour of the Inner Mongolia region, July 20-22, starting in Xilinhot, a small city in its middle part, where he visited a court in a remote nomad area to inquire about the cases they handle and watched a ruling on a trade-dispute case live by video camera, conducted in both Mandarin and Mongolian.

Local judges explained that the court gets trial support from vehicles that can travel to remote areas so that judges can resolve disputes even out on the prairies. And, these “mobile courts” have gained the approval of the general public as an effective, efficient way to handle disputes.

Zhou gave his approval of the approach as well, describing it as a practical way to meet the needs of the public, and added that judges should be encouraged to travel more to deal with all people’s disputes.

The morning of July 21, Zhou visited the Intermediate People’s Court of the Xilingol League and afterwards had an inspection of the City Court in Erenhot, on the border with Mongolia. This court can handle cases involving Mongolians and asks Mongolian consular officials to audit the proceedings for a better resolution.

Zhou praised the move and commented that the judges there should mete out justice appropriately to protect the rights of both the Chinese and Mongolians.

Zhou concluded that, with the increasing in cross-border trade, Erenhot has become the biggest port connecting China and Mongolia and he asked the local court to play a more active role and provide strong guarantees for China’s Belt and Road program.