Beijing ranks world's top for judicial procedures

Chinese capital reaps the rewards of innovative legal pilot programs, technologies

Beijing has ranked top in the world in terms of quality judicial procedures for two straight years, according to the World Bank's annual Doing Business study released recently, Beijing Daily reported.

Behind the recognition are the city's innovative pilot programs and people-centered approaches to improving legal services.

One example is the introduction of a facility allowing attorneys to attend court remotely via the internet.

Wu Qiong, a Beijing-based attorney, has attended court hearings while sitting in her office, at home or even from hotels during business trips.

"I'm looking forward to learning where the next hearing will be held," she told Beijing Daily, tongue in cheek.

What enables the flexibility is the Beijing Internet Court which was inaugurated in September 2018, with its judges sitting to hear cases online.

The majority of the cases the court has handled relate to the internet, with involved parties being active online, news portal The Paper quoted Jiang Ying, vice-president of the Beijing Internet Court, as saying.

Thus online trials have proved popular, she added. According to a white paper released by the court on its first anniversary, it accepted 34,263 cases during the one-year period, with 25,333 of them concluded.

The court said its "around-the-clock" online litigation service platform had received more than 45 million visits as of the end of August.

New technologies contribute to the convenience of litigation and efficiency of trials, the report said.

Among the technological applications is the Mobile Micro-Court, a mini program running on social platform WeChat. Users can use their smartphone to go through the entire litigation procedures.

The court has also launched a virtual judge using artificial intelligence technology to provide legal consultancy services online.

Jiang said her judicial team has also made full use of blockchain technology to help preserve and verify digital evidence.

"We hope to create a smart litigation service system by promoting technological and judicial integration," Jiang said.

The Beijing Intellectual Property Court, the first of its kind in the country unveiled in November 2014, is another shining example of the city's improved governance featuring the rule of law, observers said.

As of the end of September, the court said it had accepted more than 70,900 intellectual property cases, reporting an average annual growth of 26 percent, with nearly 60,000 of them settled.

The cases involved concerned parties from more than 90 countries and regions around the world, convincing evidence of Beijing's popularity as a preferred litigation destination for dispute settlement, local media reported.

A high proportion of overseas cases - more than one fifth of the total that the court handled - reflects close ties between Beijing and the world, according to Beijing Daily.

"Landmark cases heard at our court are of far-reaching significance to related industries," Wang Jinshan, president of the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, told China National Radio.

They can even promote the formulation of related international rules and help improve China's influence on the global IP landscape, Wang added.

"There is no limit to better serving our country's development," Xue Qiang, head of the Second Civil Division of the Beijing High People's Court, told Beijing Daily. "The Beijing high court is always on the move, exploring innovations to improve the city's business environment."