At the ceremony, the Baoshan District Government and the Shanghai Maritime Court signed the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the Shanghai Baoshan District People’s Government and the Shanghai Maritime Court”. This agreement focuses on four key areas of in-depth bilateral cooperation and exchanges: enhancing the quality of legal services for the cruise industry, establishing a platform for sharing cruise-related legal information, leveraging Baoshan’s exemplary cruise laws and regulations, and developing a high-end think tank for cruise legal research.

Zheng Zhenyu emphasized that Shanghai is capitalizing on the historic opportunity presented by the system and layout reform of the global cruise industry, intensifying its efforts to develop high-end segments of the international cruise industry chain. Judicial administrative departments at all levels have been instrumental in providing robust legal protection and high-quality legal services to support the high-quality development of Shanghai’s international cruise sector. Looking ahead, it is crucial to maximize the role of the Legal Service Cooperation & Development Community. Judicial administration departments should coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure the sustainable, healthy, and high-quality growth of the cruise economy, while fully recognizing the importance of the rule of law in securing this development.

Deng Xiaodong highlighted in his speech that the cruise industry is a significant indicator of the international tourism market and a crucial economic pillar for Baoshan. Legal services are increasingly essential to ensuring the high-quality development of the cruise tourism sector. He emphasized the need to coordinate efforts and pioneer in specific areas to establish a cruise legal ecosystem led by the government and driven by the market. Deng expressed hope that the Community would strengthen industry connections and integrate resources to promote resource sharing, complementary development, close cooperation, and mutual progress. This, in turn, would ensure the stable development of the cruise economy through enhancements in the rule of law.

Wang Tong pointed out that developing the international cruise economy is an important part of building Shanghai into a comprehensive international shipping center. Baoshan’s efforts in developing the Shanghai International Cruise Tourism Resort are laying a solid foundation for building a new pattern of high-quality development of the cruise economy. It is expected that leveraging opportunities brought by this cooperation, the Shanghai Maritime Court and Baoshan District will work more closely to jointly create a first-class business environment governed by law, guide the healthy development of the cruise industry, and set a model for international cruise legal service development.

Zhou Wenjie noted that the cruise market is experiencing rapid recovery and growth. Shanghai has taken decisive steps to optimize the cruise industry chain and enhance its supporting policy framework. Baoshan has been actively fostering the development of the cruise industry by creating opportunities for innovation in cruise legal services. The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice will further bolster institutional support for the cruise economy, enhancing Baoshan’s efforts to establish itself as a center for high-quality cruise legal services and talent cultivation.

Baoshan has achieved several pioneering milestones in China’s cruise industry: it is home to the largest international cruise port in China and Asia, and it welcomes more than half of the nation’s cruise passengers. Baoshan is also among the first batch of China Cruise Tourism Development Experimental Zones and hosts the only China Cruise Tourism Development Demonstration Zone. It served as the starting point for “Adora Magic City”, the first large cruise ship built domestically, and saw the establishment of the first hotel by the German TUI Hotel Group in Shanghai at the Shanghai International Cruise Port Resort.

At the ceremony, the “Compliance Guidelines for Cruise Tourism in Baoshan District of Shanghai” were released, accompanied by a book gift ceremony. These Guidelines are intended for enterprises involved in cruise design, construction, operation, port and terminal services, and other sectors closely related to the cruise tourism industry. They provide detailed and practical descriptions of the behaviors and legal consequences relevant to these subjects.

Legal advancement necessitates exploring new horizons, understanding emerging regulations, and establishing new benchmarks. During the ceremony, Shi Weidong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Vice President of the Shanghai Law Society, Li Zhipeng, Deputy Party Secretary and Vice President of Shanghai Maritime University, and Zhuang Wei, Regional Manager of Asia for BIMCO, delivered keynote speeches on the theme of “High-Quality Rule of Law Construction and Development of the Cruise Economy under International Cooperation”. They discussed how the construction of the rule of law promotes the cruise industry’s development and the importance of strengthening international cooperation in a globalized context.