Trillions involved in concluded civil cases in China

BEIJING -- The total value amount involved in concluded civil cases of first instances reached 21.6 trillion yuan (about 3.12 trillion U.S. dollars) over the past seven years, President of the Supreme People's Court Zhou Qiang said on Thursday.

The figure registered an average annual increase of 23.7 percent between 2013 and 2020, said Zhou when delivering a report on improving civil adjudication to ensure sustained and healthy economic and social development to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The number of first-instance civil cases that were accepted by the courts had increased from over 7.78 million in 2013 to 13.85 million in 2019, with an average annual growth rate of 10.1 percent, the report showed, indicating a rapid increase of civil cases in recent years.

A large number of new-type cases have emerged in areas related to network information, intellectual property rights, finance, bankruptcy, environmental resources, foreign-related commerce, and maritime affairs, it added.

From 2013 to June 2020, Chinese courts accepted and heard 92.02 million civil cases and concluded 89.2 million while formulating 71 pieces of civil judicial interpretations, publishing 67 guiding civil affairs cases, and completing 25 civil judicial reform tasks, the report said.

The report also noted the efforts made by people's courts to advance economic and social development alongside COVID-19 containment measures.

Courts across the country have filed 5.06 million cases online since Feb. 3, held 660,000 court sessions via the Internet, conducted 2.34 million online mediations, and made 14.32 million electronic document deliveries, it said.

The courts vow to help improve China's business environment, enhancing the judicial protection of property rights, and maintaining the market order in competition, it added.