White paper reveals how courts are using internet to improve efficiency

China's top court issued a white paper on courts' achievements in judicial efficiency through internet on Wednesday.

Titled "Chinese Courts and Internet Judiciary", the white paper, unveiled by the Supreme People's Court in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, clarifies how courts nationwide use advanced technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence, in case handlings and how they offer convenience for litigants by improving legal services.

It is the first white paper on the internet judiciary of Chinese courts as well as the first piece on the court innovation and development concerning internet around the world.

With fast growth of the internet and technologies, a large number of disputes happen online, "bringing challenges and opportunities for our courts, and also pushing us to find new ways to hear such cases more efficiently and effectively," said Li Shaoping, vice-president of the top court.

In August, the country established its first court to specialize in handling internet-related disputes in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. A year later, other two such courts were set up in Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province. All legal procedures, including case filing, trial and ruling delivery, can be conducted online in these courts.

As per the white paper, the three courts have heard 118,764 internet-related disputes as of Oct 31, of which, more than 88,000 were concluded.

It also said the courts take 45 minutes on average in an online hearing and 38 days in concluding a case.

Video edited by Cao Zinan