Spanish cooking teacher turns dispute mediator in China

HAIKOU, July 20 (Xinhua) -- When a middle-aged Frenchman residing in south China's Hainan Province was facing a divorce, he turned to Isidro, a foreign mediator at the Second Foreign-Related Civil and Commercial Tribunal of Hainan in the city of Sanya.

"My wife wants a divorce and my visa is about to expire. I don't have enough money to hire a lawyer to fight the case," he said.

Inside the courtroom, the Frenchman continued to provide details of his family dispute in English. Isidro managed to calm him down while offering advice in fluent English. Simultaneously, Isidro communicated with the judge in Chinese and conveyed the judge's opinion to the Frenchman.

After nearly two hours of discussion, Isidro and the judge completely understood the man's situation and decided to discuss with his wife how to resolve the dispute through pre-litigation mediation.

This is one of the many cases handled by Isidro, bearing the full name Isidro de La Cal Pati o. Since becoming a foreign mediator more than a year ago, the 46-year-old Spanish man has participated in over 10 mediation cases, including foreign-related tourism disputes and family disputes.

Leveraging his proficiency in Spanish, English and Chinese, as well as his deep understanding of local customs and foreign cultures, he willingly volunteered to assist judges and foreigners with interpretation, consultation and mediation work.

Isidro obtained his bachelor's degree in London and worked in Britain for a short period of time before moving to China 17 years ago.

Throughout his career, he has explored various roles such as an administrative worker, an English teacher and a culinary instructor. However, it was during a trip to Sanya that Isidro, an avid surfing enthusiast, developed an ardent fascination with the vibrant lifestyle of this tropical coastal city. Six years ago, he decided to settle down in Sanya with his wife and open a cooking training agency.

The Second Foreign-Related Civil and Commercial Tribunal of Hainan is set up for centralized jurisdiction and trial of foreign-related civil and commercial disputes in line with the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, and is committed to providing fair, efficient and convenient judicial services to Chinese and foreigners.

When a friend told Isidro that the tribunal in Sanya needed international volunteers and foreign mediators, he immediately decided to give it a shot and eventually cleared the interview.

In 2019, he started working with the tribunal as an international volunteer. Last year, he received official approval to join as a foreign mediator.

"Before, I was only involved in interpretation, but now I can participate in the mediation of cases. Almost every month, a foreigner who wants to resolve a dispute judicially takes my help," Isidro said.

According to Isidro, foreign-related civil and commercial tribunals provide more comprehensive judicial protection for foreigners living in China, and he is willing to participate in the relevant work.

Being involved in the court has given him an understanding of the judicial process here and changed his impression of courts.

"The facilities are very advanced, the staff members are friendly, and the judges speak fluent English and are very professional and reliable," he said. "My family in Spain was surprised to learn that there are foreign mediators in Chinese courts, and they are very proud of me. I hope to gain more experience to do this work better."

In recent years, China's courts and other organizations have forged cooperation to build a large mediation structure to help parties reach settlements as far as possible throughout pre-litigation and litigation processes, in order to achieve timely and cost-effective resolution of disputes.

Courts in many places, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, are encouraging and hiring foreign mediators to participate in the mediation of foreign-related civil and commercial cases.

Ma Xuetao, vice president of the Sanya Intermediate People's Court, believes that such moves show the openness and inclusiveness of China's judicial system.

Foreign tourists in Sanya would come to the tribunal for help when they have disputes during their travel. Through foreign mediators, many small cases can be solved quickly, Ma said.

"Sanya is a multicultural city and many foreigners are currently living here," Ma said. "We will hire more foreign mediators, and welcome more people to join us and help judges resolve disputes."