The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) convened a meeting on Oct 15 to review and analyze judicial adjudication data from January to September this year. Zhang Jun, president of the SPC, presided over the meeting and emphasized the need to advance the high-quality development of judicial adjudication.

The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) convenes a meeting to review and analyze judicial adjudication data from January to September on Oct 15. Zhang Jun, president of the SPC, preside over the meeting. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

According to the SPC, since the beginning of the year, courts at all levels across the country have fully implemented the opinions released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on strengthening judicial work in the new era, upheld the CPC’s absolute leadership, and deepened adjudication management in line with judicial principles. These efforts have helped improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of adjudications and judgment enforcement, laying a solid foundation for achieving this year’s judicial objectives.

Data showed that among the performance indicators with set benchmarks, five exceeded expectations and seven remained within reasonable ranges. The ratios of incidents to cases and cases to petitions continued to decline, indicating sustained positive momentum in overall judicial work.

Facing heavy caseloads, courts have placed top priority on the quality of case handling, focusing on substantive dispute resolution and avoiding superficial or rushed conclusions. While the number of first-instance cases increased, appeal and retrial filings declined, and rates of appeals, petitions, reversals and remands all dropped, demonstrating improved quality in first-instance adjudication.

Courts have also strengthened coordination with standardized operations of social governance centers, working with relevant departments to prevent and resolve disputes at the source. The number of successfully mediated cases has risen steadily, with more disputes being resolved before entering litigation.

Criminal cases involving dangerous driving, theft, fraud, concealment of criminal proceeds, and intentional injury accounted for a large proportion of total cases. As courts balanced lawful punishment with effective governance under the criminal justice policy of combining leniency with rigidity, the number of dangerous driving and theft cases has dropped notably.

In civil and commercial cases, disputes over loan contracts, sales contracts, divorces, property management services and traffic accident liability were most common. Courts have analyzed recurring issues revealed by these cases, released typical cases, and refined adjudication rules in collaboration with relevant departments to address potential risks and resolve issues at the source.

Administrative cases mainly involved administrative reviews, penalties, confirmations, rulings and agreements. Courts have given full play to mechanisms such as the “3+N”model to support the administrative review system to play its primary role in resolving administrative disputes, thereby advancing the building of a law-based government.

For emerging case types, cases with rapid growth or those facing inconsistent judgment standards, the SPC has strengthened supervision and guidance to help lower-level courts apply laws accurately and improve judicial quality and efficiency.

Participants at the meeting provided concrete assessments and commitments to enhancing adjudication quality and efficiency. For cases small in number but closely tied to the business environment and high-quality development, they have carried out in-depth research and pushed for targeted solutions. They have also made case publication, case database entries, and standardized Q&A responses part of their daily work to resolve issues in a timely manner.

The meeting emphasized that ensuring a sound legal environment for the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) is an important responsibility of courts. Courts at all levels were urged to maintain a firm focus on quality of case handling, and strengthen supervision and guidance through mechanisms such as case database, online Q&A platform , and circuit trials. Issues identified in specific judicial areas should be proactively studied, analyzed, and addressed, and leading officials of courts must take concrete responsibility for the cases under their supervision. 

The meeting underscored the importance of keen awareness of problems reflected through cases and early warnings in a timely manner to prevent potential risks. It is also imperative to enhance capabilities of judges to meet new challenges, according to the meeting.

At the meeting, SPC leading officials and heads of its departments reviewed their respective adjudication and enforcement work based on the data, proposing specific measures to strengthen and improve their work so as to secure better results for the year and to ensure a good start of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

SPC vice-presidents Deng Xiuming, Tao Kaiyuan, Mao Zhonghua, Li Yong and Gao Xiaoli; Zhang Rongshun, head of the discipline inspection team dispatched by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision to the SPC; and other senior officials attended the meeting.