The Adjudication Committee of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) reviewed and adopted in principle the revision to a judicial interpretation on jurisdiction of military courts in civil cases at a recent meeting.

Zhang Jun, president of the SPC, chaired the meeting. He emphasized the importance of ensuring equal protection of the rights and interests of servicemen and civilians in accordance with the law, while supporting efforts to strengthen national defense and the military.

Safeguarding national defense and the legitimate rights of servicemen and their families in accordance with the law has always been an essential task of courts in China. Clarifying jurisdictional issues in military-related civil cases plays a crucial role in ensuring the fair and efficient adjudication of such cases and in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of both military and civilian parties equally.

In 2012, the SPC issued the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Jurisdiction of Military Courts in Civil Cases, which was revised in 2020 to align with legal provisions such as the Civil Procedure Law.

With the increasing number of military-related civil cases in recent years, the SPC, based on in-depth investigations, extensive consultations, and adherence to the principles of serving national defense and military and ensuring equal protection of the legitimate rights and interests of both military and civilian parties, made further revisions to the provisions.

It was emphasized at the meeting that the strategy of governing the military in accordance with the law must be fully implemented in judicial adjudication. 

The meeting’s participants called for balancing the personal jurisdiction and territorial principle in military-related cases while considering the working conditions of military and civilian courts to optimize division of jurisdiction in a reasonable way. 

They also highlighted the need to improve the judicial cooperation mechanism between military and civilian courts, strengthen cross-jurisdictional cooperation, and enhance military-civilian coordination.

Efforts should be made to enhance the quality and efficiency of adjudicating military-related cases, and equally protect the legitimate rights and interests of both military and civilian parties in accordance with the law, according to the meeting.