Ever since China opened up to the world in 1980's, the Shanghai Municipal Government, led by the Communist Party of China and the State Council, makes great effort to build the city into an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center. With the cooperation and hardwork of Shanghai people, the city is progressing to its goal as a global metropolitan. The new team of leaders of the Shanghai government took office in February 2003. "The power of the government is entrusted by the people; the interest of people is above all," as Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng promise in his inaugural. Guided by the Shanghai Party Committee, the city's new leadership vows to strictly perform its official duties; to make significant progress in self-improvement, and to intensify the shift of its role from administrative to public service. The Shanghai government will build itself into a service government that would share with the people all their happiness and troubles; a solid responsible government that is efficient, honest and diligent; a law-abiding government that respects legal system and rules strictly and impartially.

Shanghai initiates fifteen judicial measures to facilitate people

02/17/2004

In the cases applying for law enforcement, the fee can be paid after enforcement; case filing and consultation can be processed online. According to our sources, since 13th October, 2003, Shanghai Superior People¡¯s Court would initiate fifteen judicial measures to facilitate people to ensure to get close to people on the style of judgment, facilitate people in the judicial proceedings, and protect people in the practical disposal.

In those fifteen measures, there are five at the phases of ombudsman work and cases filing:

Courts will establish reception and filing cases areas for receiving letters and calls from people, rest area for people of calling at the ombudsman work window;

Provide reception reservation of phone call, keep the filing windows open at noon break; put the consultation of filing cases online into trial use, and visit litigants over 70 years old and who are really in need of case accepting and hearing;

Appoint special person to guide in litigation, expressly indicate the risks of litigation and burdens of proof to litigants, guide litigants concerned to exert litigation rights correctly;

Better all service functions of filing cases hall; and

Handle in time the process of postponing, reducing or exempting litigation costs for litigants who meet the criteria of legal aid.

There are seven measures to facilitate people at the trial phase:

Adult citizens can audit in the trial by presenting their ID cards;

Further advance distributary of the civil cases and apply the summary proceedings;

Hear cases strictly according to the legal period stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Law;

If a party applies to the people¡¯s courts for investigation and evidence collection, courts shall conduct investigation in time upon their review and ruling that conclusion is legal and inform the applicants and the relevant parties of the investigation results;

Put emphasis on the substitute function of the people¡¯s mediation in litigation, and enhance the work of mediation to raise the rate of case ending through mediation as far as possible;

Cooperate to assistance, education and rectification work in criminal cases involving minors;

Initiate systems of appeal and rehearing application in criminal, civil and administrative cases, and review the application for appeals and rehearing according to law in time, and launch the rehearing proceedings to those qualified and reply in time to the litigants concerned whose application is unqualified with persuading efforts. Try the state compensation cases strictly subject to law.

There are three measures at the phase of enforcement:

Implement the system of hearing examination and review of enforcement demurral and make the hearing and review of demurral of the parties out of the case in question. And the party who dissents from the verdict of rejection shall have the right to apply for review to the higher court;

In the cases applied for enforcement, fees for application for enforcement can be paid after enforcement;

The system of enforcement in public shall be up held, which means that courts shall inform litigants concerned of the enforcement progress unless it shall be kept confidential subject to law, and all of enforcement stages shall be open to the public. The system of reception by the presiding judge of the enforcement tribunal for half day a week shall be established.

The Shanghai government 2006