China's top court doubles down on strict rulings

People who refuse to comply with court rulings will continue to be strictly punished through a joint campaign, China's top court said on Friday.

Chinese courts will work with public security departments and prosecuting authorities to launch a special crackdown to fight the crime of failing to implement verdicts, with issuance of judicial guidelines at an appropriate time, to ensure the rulings can be implemented more quickly, according to Mao Lihua, deputy head of the Enforcement Bureau with the Supreme People's Court.

He cited data as showing that a total of 3,198 defaulters were criminally punished for the crime last year.

In recent years, courts nationwide have taken steps against defaulters, including imposing restrictions in their daily lives to push verdict implementation. For example, the top court has since prohibited defaulters from buying airline and high-speed train tickets.

But after finding some defaulters buy such tickets from scalpers to continue trips, Mao said that courts across the country should have a thorough review on those given the restriction and deal them harsh punishment.

In addition to the restriction, the top court also established a website that discloses information of defaulters to urge them to comply with rulings.