China issues guidelines highlighting independent, impartial judicial work

BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China Central Committee on Monday unveiled a set of guidelines on the country's judicial work, urging Party committees at all levels to support the people's courts in exercising judicial power independently and impartially in accordance with the law.

The system for recording, reporting, and holding accountable any interference in judicial activities or involvement in the handling of specific cases should also be strictly adhered to, the document reads.

The guidelines stress the need to ensure high-quality development through strict and impartial judicial practices.

This includes improving the law-based business environment to safeguard the order of the socialist market economy, and strengthening financial adjudication by refining rules for handling financial disputes in emerging sectors.

In terms of ensuring high-level security, the guidelines call for strengthening judicial protection of minors' rights and interests, adhering to the principle of the best interests of the minor, and strictly punishing crimes against minors in accordance with the law.

The document calls for strengthening international commercial adjudication by the Supreme People's Court and in key regions, improving coordination mechanisms with international commercial mediation and arbitration, and promoting the development of a preferred venue for resolving international commercial disputes.

The development of digital courts should also be advanced, with efforts to build and improve the judicial big data system, according to the document.