Only best judges will remain as reform gets underway

The number of judges who remain in place after China's judicial reform must be controlled to ensure that only the most experienced judges conduct trials, China's top court said on Thursday.

In a five-year plan issued by the Supreme People's Court last year, in line with the judicial reform put forward by the central government in 2013, the quota of judges in the country is being cut to 33 percent, or one-third, of the current 200,000.

A further 52 percent of current judges will become legal assistants, helping judges collect case material. The remaining 15 percent will be appointed as administrative officers, the top court said.