An increase in the number of lawsuits lodged by foreigners has prompted China's top court to consider providing legal services in English, the media reported on Monday.
Some courts in coastal areas have already deployed translators to help foreigners file lawsuits, but more assistance is needed, said Jiang Qibo, chief judge of the Case-Filing Tribunal at the Supreme People's Court.
"It is necessary to establish an English lawsuit service platform nationwide, and we are considering this," the People's Daily quoted Jiang as saying.
Jiang said courts in Pudong district of Shanghai and in Yiwu, Zhejiang province - two areas where foreign investment is increasing - have taken measures to better serve litigants in English.
"These courts have built up an interpreter database to serve and guide foreigners who file cases. Judicial documents in English can be supplied for foreigners," Jiang said.
Some courts in these areas also provide legal services in Arabic, he said.
Under Chinese laws, foreign litigants have the same rights as citizens in lawsuits if their disputes occur in China.