China's International Commercial Court (CICC) in Xi'an heard its first case on Wednesday. The trial focused on a shareholder dispute related to Red Bull, the popular energy drink that originated in Thailand. Though the court did not issue a ruling at the end, legal professionals say it's a huge case.

Professor Wenhua Shan, Dean of Law School of Xi'an Jiaotong University observed the hearing upon invitation as an Expert Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court, and accepted an joint interview by CGTN along with other major media including Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, The Economist (UK),Le Monde (France), and Asahi Shimbun (Japan).

Professor Shan said, "It is a landmark case and has historical implications. This hearing is significant because the public needs to know that the court is reliable and can provide fair rulings as it proclaimed it would".

Professor Shan added that the hearing and the two courts play a role in helping China improve its global credibility, especially after China's central leadership promoted the Belt and Road Initiative and the country saw the rapid growth of foreign-related commercial disputes in recent years.

Professor Shan pointed out that the key challenge for the two courts is to establish a good reputation worldwide so that it can attract international investors and other traders.

Related media reports can be found in the following links:

CGTN:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514e3341444d35457a6333566d54/index.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0

Xinhua Net:

http://www.xinhuanet.com/legal/2019-05/29/c_1124559434.htm

China Daily:

https://mbd.baidu.com/newspage/data/landingshare?pageType=1&isBdboxFrom=1&context=%7B%22nid%22%3A%22news_10215150740856929100%22%7D

China Court:

https://www.chinacourt.org/app/appcontent/2019/05/id/3974788.shtml?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0

Legal Daily:

http://legal.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0530/c42510-31110172.html