State Leaders Meet China's First Grand Justices and Grand Procurators

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 22, 2002

State Leaders Meet China's First Grand Justices and Grand Procurators

When meeting with 84 newly appointed grand justices and grand procurators, Chinese President Jiang Zemin said that a new situation and new tasks called for further strengthening judicial work and will greatly increasing the standard of judges and procurators.

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Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other state leaders met with China's first grand justices and grand procurators Thursday at the Great Hall of the People.

Speaking to the 84 newly appointed grand justices and grand procurators, Jiang said that a new situation and new tasks called for further strengthening judicial work and will greatly increasing the standard of judges and procurators.

He asked China's judges and procurators to maintain high ideological and political standards and to be of a high professional caliber.

"Backed with such high-quality judges and procurators, the standard of China's judiciary and its work will keep growing," said Jiang.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing also took part in the meeting.

The grand justices, appointed by China's Supreme People's Court and grand procurators, appointed by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, are the first group of judges and procurators to receive the "grand" titles in China and were appointed on Thursday.

Judicial Independence Bolstered by China's Grand Justice System

The independence of China's judiciary was given a boost with the long-anticipated appointment of 41 "grand justices" Thursday, the new appointees said Friday.

"Compared with the titles of president or vice-president of a people's court, the new honor stresses the pursuit of judicial equity, neutrality, equality, independence and probity of judges," said Grand Justice Shen Deyong, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) at a meeting of grand justices.

According to the revised law on judges, the president of the SPC becomes chief grand justice, and vice-presidents and members of the Judicial Committee of the SPC and presidents of provincial-level Higher People's Courts become grand justices after assessment and appointment by the SPC.

The 41 grand justices were awarded the certificate of grand justice Thursday by Chief Grand Justice Xiao Yang, and afterwards met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

"The professional title of grand justice has been the lifetime pursuit of judges older than us," said 44-year-old Grand Justice Zhang Xuan, who is also president of the Chongqing Municipal Higher People's Court, "because it means more than the administrative title of president or vice-president of the court."

"The initiation of the new system also indicates that Chinese courts have brought their practices closer to international practices, which will further promote independent trials in courts," she said.

Judges are known for their impartiality when sitting in court, but the wording at Friday's meeting of grand justices was full of emotion.

Zhu Mingshan, vice-president of the SPC, is the oldest of the 41 grand justices. "The long practice of law has made me realize that being a judge is more than a career, but a sacred cause. It requires loyalty, sacrifice, diligence, an enterprising spirit and bravery," he said.

He added that he would fulfill his duty till his last day on the bench.

Chief Grand Justice Xiao Yang, president of the SPC, admitted that grand justices were facing an uphill battle in improving the caliber of 30,000 senior judges and 180,000 judges that have just been appointed along with the grand justices.

"Due to the professional and ethical quality of some judges and other factors, there have been complaints about the equality of justice," he said.

"Grand justices must resolve, with their deeds, these complaints, otherwise the dignity of the Constitution and law will be compromised, expectations of the people let down and the Chinese people will be victimized," he said.

"Justice, only justice, should be the motto of grand justices," he said.

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