BEIJING -- Cross-regional case filing service has been extended to the higher people's courts and the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China, covering courts at all levels across the country, the SPC said Monday.

Through this service, parties can submit application materials for filing cases at the nearest intermediate or primary-level courts and their applications will be transferred to the courts with jurisdiction.

Apart from filing first instance civil, administrative and compulsory enforcement cases, the service also enables parties to apply for filing first instance criminal cases of private prosecution, state compensation cases, and civil cases for retrial, the SPC added.

Chinese intermediate and primary-level courts, as well as maritime courts, have offered the service since late December 2019.

A total of 82,022 such cases were filed as of Dec. 31, 2020, SPC statistics showed.