Dispute resolution reaches a new high

Around 202,000 cases did not proceed to administrative litigation following administrative reconsideration in the first half of this year, effectively resolving disputes between administrative departments and citizens and entities, the Ministry of Justice announced on Friday.

The cases' resolution rate reached 89.4 percent, marking an increase of 12.6 percentage points compared to the same period in 2023, it said.

From January to June, judicial administrative authorities at various levels received totally 292,000 administrative reconsideration cases, a 150 percent year-on-year increase, and concluded 225,000 cases, the ministry said.

Kong Xiangquan, an official from the ministry's Administrative Law Enforcement Coordination and Supervision Bureau, said that administrative reconsideration serves both as a government self-correction mechanism and a remedy for resolving administrative disputes. It plays a crucial role in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the public and businesses.

The ongoing Administrative Reconsideration Law, which was revised in September 2023 and took effect in January, has expanded the scope of administrative disputes brought under this framework for resolution, he said.

Kong noted that the ministry has been guiding judicial administrative bodies at all levels to actively implement the stipulated supervision and restraint mechanisms to strengthen case-by-case corrections and the standardized handling of similar cases.

In the first half of this year, 24,000 illegal or inappropriate administrative actions were corrected, achieving a correction rate of 13.7 percent. This effectively addressed issues such as inaction, procedural violations, and arbitrary fines.

To tackle common issues in administrative law enforcement, 2,734 administrative reconsideration opinions and recommendations were issued to involved departments, along with the review of 357 administrative regulatory documents, Kong said.

Judicial administrative bodies have also been focusing on administrative reconsideration cases related to business entities, handling 2,328 cases of new types, including administrative agreements, administrative compensation, and anticompetitive practices, he added.

In the first half of this year, 31,000 administrative reconsideration cases were filed by business entities, and 23,000 cases were concluded, recovering economic losses totaling 10.17 billion yuan for the involved entities.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce launched a nationwide special campaign in June, which will run until the end of this year, aimed at supporting the high-quality development of businesses through administrative reconsideration.