Shanghai courts see rise in commercial lawsuits

Commercial lawsuits involving sums of at least 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) have risen in Shanghai in the past five years, according to data released on Tuesday.

Courts citywide handled 560 such disputes between 2012 and 2016, with the figure rising year-on-year, the Shanghai High Court said in a white paper. It did not elaborate on the annual figure or percentage increase.

Chen Yajuan, vice-president of the high court, said the traditional method of handling commercial disputes was time-consuming, expensive and used a lot of resources.

"We've been introducing alternative resolution methods, including third-party mediation, in an effort to settle disputes since 2013," he said.

Chen said an online platform set up by the city to help courts mediate in commercial disputes and increase the chance of quick settlements is also playing a more important role.

Meanwhile, cases involving countries along the Belt and Road Initiative have been increasing, according to the white paper.

Sixty-six percent of commercial lawsuits filed over the past five years involved a foreign plaintiff or defendant, the data show. No comparable data was available.

Xin Wen contributed to this story.