Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), called for enhanced judicial work and safeguards to support and safeguard for the nation’s modernization drive.

Zhang made the remarks in an article published in this year’s ninth issue of the People's Judicature, the flagship magazine of the SPC. 

Reflecting on the judicial work of the past year, Zhang said courts nationwide fulfilled their constitutional duties, ensure the rigorous and impartial administration of justice, effectively resolving disputes, continuously deepening reform of the judicial system, and steadily enhancing the quality and effectiveness of adjudication and judgment enforcement. 

These efforts resulted in the provision of robust legal support for high-quality economic and social development, he said.

Zhang stressed that courts must uphold the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over judicial work, practice whole-process people's democracy, meet the expectations of the Party and the people, and strive to promote the implementation of the Peaceful China Initiative and development of the rule of law.

He emphasized the imperative for courts to enhance their capabilities in punishing crime, protecting the people, resolving disputes and upholding justice. 

While fully, accurately and comprehensively understanding and implementing the Party's innovative theories and guiding principles in judicial work, he said that courts should actively serve and promote the implementation of major decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee through rigorous and impartial justice.

To this end, Zhang emphasized the importance of implementing judicial policies in alignment with the country’s macro policies, enhancing the consistency, precision and effectiveness of judicial services, and strengthening adjudication work in the new era.

He stressed the role of courts in safeguarding national security and social stability, and called for efforts to promote high-quality socioeconomic development with high-quality judicial services.

Courts at all levels should give full play to the rule of law in solidifying foundations, stabilizing expectations, and promoting long-term benefits, he said.

While underscoring the importance of implementing a criminal policy of combining severity with leniency, Zhang said that it is essential to be prudent in handling cases with significant impact.

Serious crimes that severely endanger national security and social stability and disrupt social order must be resolutely and strictly punished in accordance with the law, he added.

Zhang also stressed the necessity of preventing and resolving conflicts and disputes effectively to uphold social stability.

He identified several priority areas where courts need to improve judicial services to promote the country’s high-quality development, such as utilizing bankruptcy adjudication to optimize market resource allocation, supporting and regulating the development of artificial intelligence, and addressing environment and resources-related cases to facilitate a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. 

He urged efforts to keep market expectation stable and stimulate vitality of various entities through rigorous and impartial justice.

Efforts should be made to ensure equal protection of all forms of ownership, including State-owned and private enterprises, in accordance with the law, while all illegal activities and crimes are subject to punishment, Zhang said.

He talked about the importance of strengthening the check and oversight of law enforcement and use of judicial powers, and called for efforts to enhance the investigation of cases involving trans-jurisdictional and interest-driven law enforcement.

Zhang emphasized the need to coordinate efforts in effectively punishing violations, regulating market order, and ensuring enforcement of contracts and improving the business development, saying that the best judgment should be able to resolve disputes, foster cooperation, and drive development. 

As for adjudication of intellectual property cases, severe penalties must be imposed in accordance with the law for instances of malicious infringement, he said. However, for intellectual property disputes arising from cooperation, mediation should be prioritized to promote collaboration and facilitate the commercialization of technological achievements, he added.

Furthermore, Zhang emphasized the need to enhance judicial services to support high-standard opening-up. He highlighted the importance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of both domestic and foreign enterprises equally according to the law. 

It is crucial to keep foreign trade and investment stable by creating a law-based business environment and protecting all market entities equally, he said.

Zhang noted that efforts should be made to ensure that judgment for every foreign-related case serves as an example of the remarkable achievements of the country in building a world-class, market-oriented business environment governed by a sound legal framework.

He added that efforts should also be made to continuously improve and implement judicial measures against sanctions, interference and long-arm jurisdiction, safeguard Chinese enterprises’ participation in international cooperation and competition, and better protect the country’s judicial sovereignty and the overseas interests of its citizens and businesses.

In the article, Zhang also stressed the need to continuously strengthen judicial protection for people's livelihoods, and called on courts nationwide to actively respond to the concerns of the people regarding their well-being.