China's top court specifies rules for online litigation

File photo shows that a judge demonstrates a simulated online hearing at the Beijing Internet Court in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Thursday issued a set of rules for courts to handle online litigation, in an effort to promote and regulate digital litigation services.

The rules stipulate that online litigation has the same legal effect as that filed on paper, and provide that the litigation rights of the parties concerned are fully protected in the process.

The document lists five types of cases suitable for online litigation and stresses that such litigation should be conducted on a legal and consensual basis.

Liu Zheng, an SPC official, said online litigation is being promoted for the convenience of the public, reducing the cost of dispute resolution and ensuring judicial fairness.

China's courts have seen judicial services available online over the past few years. From Jan. 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021, the courts nationwide completed a total of 6.51 million mediations on the internet and held over 1.28 million virtual courts, according to Li Shaoping, SPC vice president.

The rules will be put into force on Aug. 1.