The Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China has issued a guideline on cases concerning letters, visits and petitions as the country is trying to better deal with public complaints in accordance with the law and improve the comprehensive complaint reporting system.

According to the guideline, courts at various levels in China should set up a window for appeals and petitions. Mail addresses should be clear and the channel should be open to the public.

An online appeal and petition system should be established and e-methods, such as remote video meetings, may be used to answer complaints, said the guideline.

When receiving petition cases from the courts of a higher level, courts should deal with them effectively, and should open them for public supervision.

Courts should regularly report the numbers of petitions and the number of issues solved to the public.

The guideline also said that when publicizing cases, appeals and petitions must be treated differently. Cases that can be solved by civil procedural and other laws must be heard through legal process. Similarly, in cases involving state compensation, relief should be requested according to due process.

The guideline is expected to improve the work of dealing with petitions and keep the petition channel uncongested, thus effectively protecting the legitimate interest of all parties.