On December 12, 2025, the “Supreme People’s Court Special Research Symposium on the Drafting of Judicial Interpretations for the Maritime Law and the Revision of the Special Maritime Procedure Law” was held at Dalian Maritime University (DMU). Attendees included Wang Shumei, Standing member of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC)’s adjudication committee (vice-minister level) and justice of the second rank; Hu Fang, the Deputy Chief Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court of the SPC and Senior Judge of the First Rank; Huang Xiwu, Senior Judge of the Second Rank of the Fourth Civil Division; and judges Ma Ling and Yang Yu from the Fourth Civil Division. Invited experts from maritime adjudication, academia, and legal practice participating in the discussions included Li Chengfu, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the High People’s Court of Liaoning Province; Jia Chunyu, Chief Judge of the Third Civil Division of the Liaoning Provincial High People’s Court; Zhang Guoquan, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the Dalian Maritime Court; Sun Guang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the Dalian Maritime Court; Guan Zhengyi, Former Vice President of Dalian Maritime Court and Guest Professor at the School of Law of Dalian Maritime University; Professor Fu Benchao, Vice Dean of the Law School of Shandong University; Zhu Moquan, Senior Partner at Liaoning Hengxin Law Firm; Du Jie, Director of the Legal Compliance Department of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd; and Gao Yang, General Manager of the Legal and Compliance Department at PICC Property and Casualty Company Limited Dalian Branch. Also attending the meeting were Professor Si Yuzhuo, Former President of Dalian Maritime University; Professor Shan Hongjun, President of Dalian Maritime University; Zhu Zuoxian, Dean of the School of Law; and faculty representatives.

President Shan Hongjun extended a warm welcome to Wang Shumei and her delegation, expressing gratitude to the Supreme People’s Court for its long-standing guidance and support for the university’s development. He noted that maritime law, as a key and advantageous discipline of the university, has developed over forty years into a comprehensive legal education system encompassing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, continuously contributing wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of the nation’s maritime rule of law. He emphasized that the university will continue to leverage its academic and talent advantages, promoting legal research into all areas of national maritime activities, practicing the philosophy that “the law extends its reach wherever maritime activities take place”, and providing professional support for improving China’s maritime and commercial legal system and consolidating the legal foundation for building a strong maritime nation.

Wang Shumei from the Supreme People’s Court delivered a speech. She elaborated the necessity and significance of drafting the Judicial Interpretations of the Maritime Law and revising the Special Maritime Procedure Law. The passage of the newly revised Maritime Law has created an urgent need for the refinement and formulation of related judicial interpretations, and the revision of the Special Maritime Procedure Law has also entered a fast track in the legislative process. Wang Shumei pointed out that for this revision of the Maritime Law, the Ministry of Transport entrusted Dalian Maritime University to lead the participation of experts from other domestic universities, research institutions, and practical sectors throughout the process, resulting in the accumulation of extensive experience. She expressed hope that the attending experts, scholars, and representatives from practice would speak freely and contribute high-quality opinions and suggestions for this special research effort.

Deputy Chief Judge Hu Fang presided over the research session. The participants engaged in thorough discussions focusing on key issues regarding the Judicial Interpretations of the Maritime Law and major provisions in the revision of the Special Maritime Procedure Law. Scholars from academia and representatives from practice, based on theoretical perspectives and combined with practical needs, presented their views on topics including the transitional application between the pre-revision and post-revision Maritime Law, the interpretation of key provisions in the newly revised Maritime Law, and the proposed new clauses for the Special Maritime Procedure Law.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Wang Shumei summarized the symposium. She stated that the meeting was rich in content and thorough in discussion, effectively pooling the wisdom of both academia and practice, and achieving the expected objectives. She expressed hope that the participating experts would continue their in-depth research and persistently offer constructive opinions and suggestions regarding the two research tasks.