China's legislature, judiciary vow high-quality work to drive modernization

BEIJING -- China's top legislature, top court and top procuratorate on Friday pledged high-quality work in 2024 to facilitate the country's modernization drive.

The message was sent at a plenary meeting held during the national legislature's annual session, when lawmakers heard the work reports of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

The meeting was attended by Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Han Zheng.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, delivered the work report of the top legislature to the meeting.

Reviewing the year 2023, Zhao said the NPC Standing Committee has focused on improving the quality of legislation. It deliberated on 34 items of legislation and adopted 21 of them, including six new laws, eight revised laws, and seven decisions on legal issues and major matters.

For 2024, Zhao said the legislature will pursue high-quality work to provide legal guarantees for building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

The legislature will strengthen the implementation of the Constitution and the oversight of constitutional compliance, improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, and take solid steps to exercise effective oversight, he said.

It will also give full play to the roles of NPC deputies, expand international exchanges, and strengthen self-improvement, he added.

Delivering the work report of the top court, SPC President Zhang Jun said Chinese courts at all levels accepted 45.57 million cases and concluded 45.27 million cases in 2023, up 15.6 percent and 13.4 percent from the previous year respectively.

Over the past year, the top court focused on the theme of impartiality and efficiency in advancing its work, Zhang said.

He said in 2024, courts across the nation will focus their work on advancing Chinese modernization, stepping up modernizing adjudicatory work, and refining the supervision system.

While delivering the SPP work report, SPP Procurator-general Ying Yong said the top procuratorate has achieved high quality and great efficiency in handling every case in 2023.

Procuratorates across the country handled 4.25 million cases in 2023, marking a year-on-year increase of 28.9 percent, according to Ying.

He called on procuratorates nationwide to support Chinese modernization through the modernization of procuratorial work, resolutely safeguard national security, social stability and the well-being of the people, and provide lawful services for high-quality development.