Since the start of this year, China's efforts to crack down on crime have intensified, with a strong focus on safeguarding national security and maintaining social stability, according to the Supreme People's Court (SPC).

On Tuesday, the SPC reported that from January to March, Chinese courts handled around 22,000 fraud cases, a decrease of 7.3 percent compared with the same period last year.

Throughout the first quarter, courts nationwide prioritized harsh penalties for crimes that significantly threaten public security, with particular emphasis on offenses including rape, child molestation and fraud. The SPC said the percentage of offenders sentenced to five or more years in prison for these three crimes was higher than the overall rate of severe sentences by 23.7, 18.7 and 7.3 percentage points, respectively.

In light of the recent rise and controversy surrounding crimes involving infringement of property rights, the SPC said it is drafting new guidelines to improve the efficiency and quality of handling such offenses and to strengthen protection of public property rights.

Additionally, from January to March, courts across the country accepted 10,600 first-instance cases related to concealment or disguise of criminal proceeds or benefits, a 41.3 percent decline from the previous year. The reduction indicates that judicial interpretations have helped lower courts more accurately identify and appropriately sentence these crimes, the SPC said.

Moreover, during the first quarter, Chinese courts heard more than 51,000 civil first-instance environmental cases, a 13.5 percent increase year-on-year. Disputes related to property management contracts also exceeded 290,000, up 37.3 percent compared with the same period last year.