A team headed by Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), visited South China's Guangdong province and reviewed the work of local courts and the SPC's First Circuit Court from April 5 to 7. 

SPC President Zhang Jun communicates with a litigant of an appeal case during his survey trip of Guangdong High People's Court on April 6, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

In the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou City, Zhang urged the court to adhere to a people-oriented principle, answer each letter or visit of the people, and perform its duties in accordance to the law. He stressed the necessity of manual services for those who are unfamiliar with digital technology, such as the aged and disabled. 

Zhang visits the case filing hall of the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou City on April 6, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

During the visit to a tribunal at the Primary People's Court of Tianhe District, the head of the SPC acknowledged its contribution to grassroots governance and called on tribunals nationwide to learn from its experience and practice of handling property disputes in communities. 

Zhang talks with a mediator of the Primary People's Court of Tianhe District of Guangzhou on April 6, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

After learning that the Guangzhou Internet Court accepted about 7,000 cases last year, which was much fewer than the average of 20,000 cases in previous years, Zhang affirmed its efforts to resolve disputes by giving suggestions on risk control and prevention based on understanding of common problems identified in case hearings involving financial products. 

He also called on courts to offer suggestions on social governance with the help of big data and other information technology. 

The SPC team, alongside three deputies to the National People's Congress, is briefed on the work of courts in Guangdong province at a symposium on April 6, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

At a symposium held at the Guangdong High People's Court, three deputies to the National People's Congress - Chen Zhilie, Ou Yanming, and Sun Jianguo - spoke highly of the work of people's courts and offered their advice and suggestions on the equal protection of small, medium-sized and micro enterprises according to law, more mediation before litigation, and the role of people's courts in grassroots governance.

After being briefed on the progress and challenges of the courts' work in Guangdong, Zhang stressed the significance of ideological foundation, political stance and the awareness about the rule of law in judicial trials.

Zhang urged for more efforts to improve the management of judges, such as building a scientific system for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of trials, and establishing an incentive and punishment mechanism for judges. He called on the courts to make new achievements through building a stronger judicial team.

The SPC team visits the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on April 7, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

In Shenzhen, Zhang visited the city's Intermediate People's Court, where he read a publication on guiding courts in Shenzhen to better implement the mass line, which requires Party officials and members to prioritize the interests of the people.

He suggested developing the experience of Fengqiao town in Zhejiang province and enhancing the engagement of the people's courts in solving disputes at grassroots levels.

The SPC team surveys the mechanism of the alternative disputes resolution (ADR) at the Qianhai Cooperation Zone Primary People's Court in Shenzhen on April 7, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

In Shenzhen, the team also surveyed the Qianhai Cooperation Zone Primary People's Court, a demonstration site of the SPC's comprehensive judicial reform. As a key judicial service provider in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area (GBA), the court has been innovating its own work mechanism through optimizing certification, bringing in specialized professionals, and setting up the alternative disputes resolution (ADR) procedure. 

The SPC team visits the staff of the SPC's First Circuit Court on April 7, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Zhang expressed his thanks to the province and Shenzhen city for their support in the work of the SPC's First Circuit Court. He visited the court staff there and urged the court to carry forward their experience over the past eight years, as well as the innovative ideas and practices of courts in Guangdong, so as to serve the GBA's development.