China’s top court has called on Chinese courts at various levels to further improve publicity work.
The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) conveyed that message, and set the court system’s plans for publicity and opinion guidance in 2016, through a video conference on January 27 with a central political and legal work conference, a national publicity ministers’ meeting and a meeting of presidents of high courts.
At the videoconference, Jing Hanchao, vice-president of the SPC, urged courts to study President Xi Jinping’s important speeches and, centering on “demonstrating justice and fairness to the people in every judicial case”, publicize courts’ new achievements in law enforcement, as well as their progress in judicial reform, personnel development and judicial openness.
Last year, Chinese courts made great progress in holding regular press conferences, which effectively guided public opinion, Jing said. Publicity personnel development also saw major breakthroughs, and the hard work of publicity workers of courts at various levels helped create a favorable opinion environment, he added.
Jing called on courts to step up publicity work this year, especially publicity of court news and opinion guidance at the coming “Two Sessions”, a major political meeting of legislators and political advisors held annually in Beijing, in March. Publicity organs should get well prepared and take advantage of both traditional and new media to extend the court system’s voice during the “Two Sessions”, Jing noted.
Jing called for enhanced publicity on achievements in law enforcement and judicial reform. Publicity organs should demonstrate courts’ advances in punishing criminals according to the law to defend national security and maintain social stability, their new practices in getting adjusted to and playing a guiding role in the economic new normal, and their progress in taking measures to serve the people, uphold justice and raise judicial credibility.
Jing also stressed publicity of grassroots courts’ achievements and grassroots judges. Courts should deepen publicity on core socialist values and make efforts to let the people feel the warmth and power of the law through a variety of means, such as press conferences, case briefings, interviews and public experience activities, he said.
He added that courts should improve publicity planning and news release capabilities through innovation.
Chinese courts should enhance personnel development and raise publicity workers’ political, legal and professional competency in order to improve publicity work and create a good opinion environment for court development.
Sun Jungong, a spokesman for the SPC, hosted the meeting and conveyed the spirit of a recent national publicity ministers’ meeting, as well as SPC President Zhou Qiang’s instructions on news publicity.
