China's top court stresses referential precedent for justice

BEIJING -- An official with the Supreme People's Court (SPC) stressed the use of referential precedent to ensure fairer judgements, at an SPC press conference on Tuesday.

Citing precedent, or guidance from past cases, as a reference will address inconsistencies in sentencing, which impairs justice, according to the deputy chief of the SPC research division, Guo Feng.

Due to social and economic disparities across China, the understanding of the same law often varies, resulting in drastically different sentences, Guo said.

Some judgements are even influenced by money, power or string-pulling, Guo added.

The use of referential precedent, in addition to judicial interpretation and supervision by the SPC, will help standardize legal applications and judgements, according to Guo.

Moreover, he said, referential precedent can raise the legal awareness of the public.