File photo [Photo/IC] 

"The plaintiff and the defendant, you are at the People's Court of Shengsi County while I am at the Ningbo Maritime Court Pilot Free Trade Zone Maritime Tribunal in Zhoushan New Town. For our different locations, I need you to cooperate with us by following my instructions and observing the court disciplines……Are you clear?"

This was the special opening made by Judge Wang Lingyun from the Ningbo Maritime Court Pilot Free Trade Zone Maritime Tribunal in a remote video hearing of a case in Shengsi county of Zhoushan on March 5. 

It is the first time that the two courts, 74 nautical miles away from each other, have jointly launched a remote video hearing, a significant move in facilitating the litigation process for local residents. 

As a famous fishing area, the Shengsi Islands witnesses many legal fishing cases every year, and before the video hearing, local residents had to travel a long distance to the maritime court in Zhoushan Island to participate in their litigation. Some of the participants were even delayed a couple of days on the way due to extreme weathers such as typhoon. 

"The remote video hearing realizes a new way of court hearing via some remote devices," said Wang, adding that it solves the problem of one party of a case being in the Zhoushan Island while the other party in other islands, and frees the court hearing from any potential weather impacts, thus making the case handling process more efficient. 

Altogether six cases were handled through remote video hearing that day, of which the plaintiffs and defendants were all Shengsi natives.

Ningbo Maritime Court Pilot Free Trade Zone Maritime Tribunal, originally Ningbo Maritime Court Zhoushan Tribunal established in 2003, changed its name last year to settle the increasing amount of disputes in China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone arising from the surge of companies and transactions in the zone in recent years.