Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), reiterated the need to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), accelerate the modernization of the trial system and capacity, and strive for the high-quality development of courts' work in the new era.

He made those remarks while attending the national conference of presidents of high people's courts, which was convened via video link on Jan 8.

The national conference of presidents of high people's courts is convened via video link, Jan 8, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

As pointed out at the conference, courts at all levels need to integrate their thoughts and action with the guiding spirit of the central leadership on political and legal work, fully tap the functional role of trials and provide strong judicial services for China's modernization.

The meeting acknowledged the progress all courts made in 2022, which resolutely safeguarded national security and social stability, accurately and swiftly served the coordination of epidemic prevention and control and socioeconomic development, greatly improved people's livelihoods, continuously advanced judicial reform and smart court construction, and effectively fostered a qualified team of court staff.

It was noted that 2023 is the first year to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, where courts at all levels shoulder missions of great significance. All courts were required to resolutely uphold the Party's absolute leadership over judicial work and unswervingly follow the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), attends and addresses the national conference of presidents of high people's courts, Jan 8, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Courts are required to pursue a holistic approach to national security in serving the building of a peaceful China at a higher level, establish the correct concept of criminal justice, and safeguard social equity and justice with strict and impartial judicial procedures. They are urged to safeguard national security and social stability, punish all types of criminal offenses in strict accordance with the law, and make regular efforts to crack down on gang crimes.

They need to strengthen judicial protection of human rights, strictly follow standards of proof, respect and protect lawyers in performing their duties in accordance with the law, and constantly improve mechanisms for preventing and correcting wrongful cases and for imposing accountability on those responsible. Courts were required to proactively promote social governance, vigorously enhance the comprehensive efficiency of the one-stop diversified dispute resolution and litigation service system with Chinese characteristics, adhere to and develop the "Fengqiao experience" in the new era, actively participate in the urban and rural governance system that combines autonomy, the rule of law and the rule of virtue under the leadership of local Party organizations, and promote the construction of peaceful and law-based villages at a higher level.

The meeting reiterated the need to fully, accurately and comprehensively adopt the new development concept to serve the accelerated building of the new development paradigm, and protect the property rights of private enterprises and the rights and interests of entrepreneurs in accordance with the law. More efforts are needed to foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, and to deepen reform and innovation in intellectual property (IP) adjudication and strengthen IP judicial protection in key core technologies and emerging fields. Courts nationwide are urged to appropriately hear cases involving new technologies and new business forms and models in a bid to enhance the sci-tech strength and innovation ability of China's digital economy, play their due part in preventing and defusing major economic and financial risks, hear financial cases in accordance with the law and pay more attention to bankruptcy trials. They also need to  strengthen and innovate trials of environmental resource related cases, uphold the strictest system and rule of law to protect the ecological environment, and support the green transformation of socioeconomic development. They are called on to improve the quality and efficacy of foreign related judicial work, equally protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and foreign entities, and deepen international judicial exchanges and cooperation to facilitate opening-up at a higher level.

Efforts are also needed to address the people's urgent needs and worries, strengthen the judicial protection of people's livelihoods, and resolve litigation-related complaints. The judicial mechanism for the people should be improved, reform of the case-filing and registration system deepened, an alternative dispute resolution and online dispute resolution mechanism developed, and the enforcement systems and models with Chinese characteristics improved. Courts are urged to proactively support the construction of a law-based society and promote and practice core socialist values.

The meeting reiterated the need to deepen judicial reform and smart court construction to accelerate the modernization of the trial system and capacity. Courts nationwide will deepen comprehensive and integrated reforms of the judicial system, the trial-centered litigation system, and of functions and roles of courts at four levels, fully implement the judicial accountability system, and deepen reform of the staffing system for judges. They will intensify oversight of judicial activities for an optimized allocation of judicial powers, and promote the smart court and the internet judiciary by implementing the three sets of rules for online litigation, mediation and operation and the opinions on the judicial application of blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies.

The meeting also emphasized the need to build a judicial team with loyalty and integrity by intensifying theoretical learning, leadership building at all levels, judicial capacity building, and strict governance over all courts' work.