Judicial Innovation and Global Governance: The Strategic Role of China International Commercial Court in Advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, The case of Xian International Commercial Court

This paper examines the Xi’an International Commercial Court (CICC) as an innovative judicial entity and a strategic tool of global governance within China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It addresses how the CICC’s novel judicial and procedural mechanisms – notably a pioneering “one-stop” dispute resolution platform – meet BRI’s cross-border commercial needs and how these innovations compare to analogous international commercial courts. Using doctrinal analysis, comparative evaluation of peer courts, and case studies of CICC practice, the study examines the court’s institutional design and effectiveness. The findings reveal that the Xi’an CICC has introduced significant innovations – from integrating litigation, mediation, and arbitration in a single forum to leveraging technology and international expert input – in order to deliver efficient, impartial resolution of complex disputes. Equally, the CICC is shown to serve China’s legal diplomacy and normative aspirations within global rule-making frameworks: it projects a Chinese approach to the transnational rule of law and seeks to shape emerging norms of international commercial adjudication. At the same time, the analysis highlights practical challenges – notably in enforcement of CICC judgments abroad and perceptions of neutrality – that may limit its influence. The paper concludes that the Xi’an CICC plays an important and changing role in improving the BRI’s legal framework. It also shapes global dispute resolution standards, showing both the potential and the challenges of China’s efforts in judicial globalization.