China has 570,000 public legal service centers: ministry

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China has established around 570,000 public legal service centers at all levels, covering legal consulting, legal aid, and mediation, among other services, said the Ministry of Justice.

In 2021, volunteer lawyers with a national volunteer campaign on legal aid handled more than 5,000 legal assistance cases, accepted over 74,800 legal consulting requests, and delivered 1,010 lectures promoting the rule of law. They also helped resolve over 1,400 disputes, data from the ministry showed.

Efforts also enhanced the quality and efficiency of public legal services, with more than 2,000 operators in place for the national public legal service hotline. National and provincial-level websites for legal services were also set up, according to the ministry.

Since the law on legal aid went into effect on Jan. 1, legal assistance agencies nationwide have been earnestly implementing the law as procedures were streamlined for people in difficulties to get easier access to legal assistance.