The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) recently held a symposium to solicit opinions on a research report concerning mechanisms for delivering and evaluating judicial justice.
Zhang Jun, president of the SPC, presided over the meeting and delivered remarks.
As the people are the ultimate judges of whether fairness and justice have been served, ensuring justice requires courts to conduct extensive consultation with all sectors of society.
The outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) makes major arrangements for improving mechanisms for delivering and evaluating judicial justice, and the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has launched a dedicated research initiative on the subject.
The symposium aimed to explore how courts can implement these arrangements, use research to promote the high-quality development of adjudication and better meet the people’s expectations for fairness and justice.
Deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC), members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), officials from relevant central authorities, legal experts, academics and media representatives offered opinions and suggestions on the research report and the work of courts during the symposium.
The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) holds a symposium to solicit opinions on a research report concerning mechanisms for delivering and evaluating judicial justice. Zhang Jun, president of the SPC, presided over the symposium and delivers remarks. [Photo/court.gov.cn]
Participants said that the research project is highly significant and that the SPC’s extensive consultation helps strengthen judicial authority and credibility. They also commended courts for proactively accepting oversight and keeping NPC deputies informed of their work.
Improving mechanisms for delivering judicial justice ultimately depends on enhancing the quality of case handling, participants noted. High-quality adjudication reduces appeals and petitions for retrial, thereby contributing to the impartiality, consistency and authority of judicial decisions, they said.
They stressed that improving mechanisms for delivering and evaluating judicial justice is not the responsibility of courts alone. All sectors of society should exercise oversight, provide support, ensure appropriate checks and balances, and work together to advance law-based governance, they added.
Given the large and complex caseload, litigants and other participants in legal proceedings may have different perceptions of justice. Participants therefore called for greater emphasis on dispute prevention at the source and diversified dispute resolution.
They also spoke positively of the practical value of standardized textbooks for judges and stressed that judges must retain their principal role as courts explore the use of information technology in adjudication. Courts should not only administer justice well but also communicate their work effectively, helping bridge differences in public perceptions of fairness and justice, they noted.
Other suggestions included encouraging capable retired judges to participate in dispute resolution, producing more micro-dramas that appeal to the public, and establishing regular cooperation between courts and media organizations to respond to public concerns in high-profile cases.
Participants also recommended that the report place greater emphasis on giving priority to non-litigation dispute resolution mechanisms and reflect in more details the role of lawyers in diversified dispute resolution.
They suggested providing clearer explanation of legal terminology in the report, or replacing it with more accessible language where appropriate.
Media representatives noted that the report contained valuable materials for in-depth coverage and pledged to further develop relevant news stories.
Among those who offered suggestions based on their respective professional experience were NPC deputies Yu Jia’ao, Tian Xuan and Yang Weikun; CPPCC National Committee member Ma Huaide; and officials from central authorities Zhan Shuiqing, Huang Chunhua, Hou Xiaoguang, Wu Qiaobin and Zhang Weidong.
Also offering suggestions were scholars Wan Rong, Wang Liming, Long Zongzhi, Liu Renwen, Xiao Jianguo, He Haibo, Guo Li, Xiong Qiuhong and Pan Jianfeng; as well as media representatives Wei Zhezhe, Luo Sha, Feng Jiashun, Zhang Sai, Zhu Xidan, Wang Bin and Xu Lihua.
NPC deputies, members of the CPPCC National Committee, officials from various central authorities, legal experts, scholars and media representatives offer opinions and suggestions on the research report and the work of courts. [Photo/court.gov.cn]
Zhang Jun said the symposium served not only as a consultation on the report, but also as a seminar on fairness and justice and a discussion on the mechanisms for delivering and evaluating judicial justice. He expressed appreciation to the participants for their constructive views, which he said would help courts further improve their work.
In recent years, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with strong support from relevant sectors, courts have upheld strict and impartial justice, consolidated and further advanced judicial reform, improved adjudication quality and efficiency and strengthened the judicial workforce, Zhang Jun said.
These efforts have produced new progress in safeguarding social fairness and justice. Nevertheless, significant gaps remain between the performance of courts and the requirements of the central authorities and the expectations of the people, he added.
The rule of law is an important safeguard for Chinese modernization. Regulating the exercise of judicial power and improving mechanisms for delivering and evaluating justice are major responsibilities entrusted to courts by the CPC Central Committee, and are essential to providing judicial services and safeguards for Chinese modernization, Zhang Jun said.
He expressed the hope that all sectors would continue to support and supervise the work of courts. Courts at all levels should coordinate with relevant parties to deliver justice and make greater contributions to advancing law-based governance, he added.
He Xiaorong, a justice of the second rank at the SPC, and officials from relevant SPC departments, attended the symposium.
