A leading judge Thursday called for reform in procedures and management of court trials, calling it a necessity if China's judicial system is to keep pace with the country's economic and social progress. Zhu Mingshan, vice president of China's Supreme People's Court, made the remark at a press conference here on bringing the role of people's courts into full play to serve the nation's economic development.

He pointed out that with the implementation of the economic strategies and decisions set down at the fourth plenary session of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Economic Work Conference, people's courts at all levels are sure to hear more and more cases, including some new ones that arise under new conditions.

"People's courts should rely on reform to improve efficiency and promote justice," he said. However, Zhu stressed, in their daily work, people's courts should stick to several basic principles, namely adhering to justice, improving the efficiency of lawsuits while reducing expenses, and relying on the Party's leadership while accepting the supervision from people's congresses.

He urged people's courts to give full play to their judicial functions and promote the development of both public and private economic sectors, protect the development of rural economy, standardize financial order and prevent financial risks so as to ensure the smooth development of national economy. He also stressed that people's courts should protect intellectual property rights in accordance with law, so as to ensure that the strategy of "developing the country through science and education" can be fully implemented. Zhu emphasized that China's ambitious plan to develop the west and the country's coming entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) will create stricter requirements for the work of people's courts.

He also ordered people's courts to pay particular attention to those cases involving state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and to firmly resist regional and departmental protectionism. He said that in order to have first-class judicial services, a high-caliber team of judges is needed, adding that people's courts at various levels should strengthen the ethical and professional training of their judges.