On October 30, the leading Party group of the Supreme People’s Court hosted a meeting to study the essence of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and to discuss required measures.

The meeting was chaired by SPC President Zhou Qiang, who called for deepening of judicial reform to provide strong judicial services and guarantees during the nation’s Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period.

Zhou said the Fifth Plenary Session is a strategically important opportunity for the nation to be built into a comprehensive well-off society, and as such is of vital realistic and historical significance.

The working report, and the speech made by General Secretary Xi Jinping, further pointed out the direction and path for China to take to bolster the reform drive and opening-up under the new circumstances, and to increase the pace of modernization. Zhou called on courts at all levels to fully fulfill their functions, and provide strong judicial services and guarantees to realize the goals of the 13th Five-Year Plan.

Efforts must be made to enhance protection of intellectual property rights, and to facilitate the innovation-driven development of the nation.

The legitimate rights of all market entities should be further protected, and the lawful rights of citizens, legal persons and other organizations should be safeguarded.

Efforts should also be made to enhance the procedures and hearing of civil and commercial cases, so as to further the robust economic growth of the nation in a coordinated manner.

Processing of environment-related litigation should be emphasized to promote a greener China and environmental protection, he added.

Courts at all levels should also liaise with their counterparts in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and move forward vigorously on cases relating to the free trade zones to better facilitate the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative, Zhou said.

In conclusion, he called for deepening of judicial reform and the improvement of justice to realize the goals set out in the Plan.