3,632 Citizen vs Government Cases Reported in Past Decade
People's courts at various levels in Beijing accepted and heard 3,632 citizen-vs.-government cases during 1990-1999. Among these, 3,616 cases were concluded, and the citizens won in 832 cases.
The citizen-vs.-government cases concerned all sorts of administrative acts involving patents, trademarks, land and mineral resources, foreign investment, supervision over pharmaceuticals, management of state assets, unfair competition, urban planning, education, and the press and publications.
China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress, adopted the Administrative Procedure Law in 1989, stipulating that if a citizen, corporation, or any other organization or entity considers that lawful rights and interests have been infringed upon by a specific administrative act, the complainant shall have the right to bring suit before a people's court.
The courts in Beijing also tried more than 7,000 cases concerning administrative organs asking the courts' help in supervising the implementation of certain administrative acts.
