Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei unite to improve court quality

Thanks to joint efforts made by courts in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, the quality and efficiency of case hearings in the region has greatly improved, judges said.

Since the beginning of last year, Beijing courts have signed 44 agreements with courts in Tianjin and Hebei to strengthen the coordination in handling cases, especially those on finance, intellectual property, environmental protection and bankruptcy, Ren Xuefeng, vice-president of the Beijing High People's Court, told a news conference on Thursday.

"The agreements aim to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region by the rule of law, with stronger supports to promote the regional construction projects and more convenient services for the regional residents to solve disputes," he said.

For instance, a bankruptcy tribunal of the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court has established a working mechanism with five intermediate courts in Hebei and Tianjin to jointly deal with liquidation of the regional companies, according to him.

People living or working in the region have been allowed to initiate a lawsuit in the court closest to their home, even when it has no jurisdiction to hear the dispute "meaning litigants are given easier access to litigation", he said.

Lawyers in the region can also read the materials from cases and pay the litigation fees online instead of traveling to courts, he added.

In addition, training online and on site for judges in the region has been increased to help them study new legal issues, he said.

For example, Yanqing District People's Court in Beijing has worked with Chongli District People's Court in Hebei to increase legal research and focus more on handling cases involving skiing and ice skating, as the two districts are rich with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics' legacy, according to You Wenjun, an official from the Yanqing court.

"Together with Chongli, we've made and issued a report on preventing legal risks brought by winter sports," he added.