Courts across China enforced 2. 645 million verdicts as requested by litigants last year, which involved a total of more than 249.7 billion yuan (30.1 billion US dollars), top judge Xiao Yang said today.

The number of cases and money involved in the past year represented sharp increases of 27.3 percent and 57.72 percent respectively over 1998, thanks to efforts to campaigns against local interference in the enforcement of court verdicts, said Xiao in his work report to the NPC plenary meeting. Because of economic interests, local and departmental protectionism has long plagued Chinese courts in the enforcement of court orders, and has resulted in "law enforcement difficulties," now well-known among legal professionals.

As a result, interests of related litigants have failed to be protected by law, the authority of law has been violated, which resulted in many serious social consequences, Xiao said.

Last year, he added, the Supreme Court launched large-scale campaigns for effective execution of long-delayed court verdicts in addition to restructure of the country law enforcement system.

According to the new scheme, provincial higher people's courts have been entitled to command law-enforcement departments and equipment in the whole areas under their jurisdiction, which " constitutes a major breakthrough in the restructuring of the people's courts," Xiao said.

Media campaigns and other educational methods have been adopted to persuade the related parties to pay their due compensations; compulsory measures would be taken if they refused to listen; some have been ordered to use their labor or other assets to pay debts.

Thanks to the leadership of Party committees at various levels, supervision of people's congresses and support from the government bodies, a great number of long-delayed court verdicts have finally been implemented last year, Xiao said.