Report issued on judicial digital advancement

Thanks to the application of technology, Chinese courts have helped provide residents with easier access to legal services, according to a report issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The academy's Institute of Law evaluated the information construction level of courts nationwide last year, finding more advanced technologies, including big data, blockchain and 5G, have been applied to judicial affairs, generating rapid advances in efficacy and accessibility.

The report said more than 90 percent of cases in the country's three internet courts - which are located in Beijing and the provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong - have been filed, heard and solved online, with more litigation services supplied through smartphone applications and WeChat mini programs, meaning legal services can be accessed at any place and any time.

By the end of 2022 a digital platform provided by the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, for the public to seek legal information and resolved disputes has uploaded more than 116.89 million legal documents and registered more than 1.18 million users.

It lauded the convenience brought by online services to litigants, but called for courts to better integrate these platforms, as rapid adoption has made work between courts and other authorities difficult.

It suggested Chinese courts focus more on how to apply technology to improve the quality of case handling, stressing legal services must also be guaranteed offline.