The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) has introduced 67 pleading templates for complaints and responses, set to be applied in courts nationwide from July 14, 2025. According to the SPC, the move aims to further facilitate litigation and better safeguard the people’s right to take legal action.　

The pleading templates cover a wide range of legal fields, including criminal (private prosecutions), civil, commercial, intellectual property, maritime, administrative, environment and resources, state compensation and enforcement cases. Among them, 56 are newly added templates targeting common causes of action. 

Since March 2024, courts nationwide have piloted 11 pleading templates for civil disputes. To date, 72 percent of litigants and lawyers have voluntarily opted to utilize these element-based templates, which, by listing compensation items, jurisdiction agreements and evidentiary appraisal reminders, have effectively prevented omissions of key claims, enhanced claim clarity, and boosted the quality and efficiency of adjudication.

In credit card disputes, for example, over 80 percent of cases had adopted the templates by this June, resulting in a reduction of more than 10 percent in average adjudication duration.

The newly added templates have shown improvements in several aspects, for instance, blank columns for optional filling have been added, and elements that can be obtained through data sharing have been deleted. Other changes include the addition of sample entries, instructions, and evidence checklists, as well as a section for indicating preferences for dispute resolution methods. The electronic versions have been upgraded to make it more user-friendly, with expandable fields and copy-paste function to support efficient completion. 

Pleading templates tailored for areas such as criminal private prosecutions and judgment enforcement are easy to use, making legal procedures more accessible for litigants. The 11 templates in the administrative category adopt a checklist-style format to help litigants clearly and accurately express their claims, according to the SPC. 

Courts nationwide have launched staff training, issued user guidelines, and provided technical support to ensure the effective rollout. The templates are now available at the people’s court online service platform, offering features such as online completion and smart auto-fill. The SPC will continue to refine the templates, expand their application scope, and strengthen supervision to ensure efficient application, bringing tangible benefits to litigants and contributing to high-quality judicial services.