CRI听力:China's Supreme People's Court Unveils 1st Circuit Court

The president of China's Supreme People's Court, along with provincial officials in Guangdong, took part in a ceremony which has unveiled the nameplate of the court during the inauguration.

Nine presiding judges, along with four other officials selected by the Supreme Court, have been sworn-in to take part in cases in the court.

The new circuit court in Shenzhen will hear administrative, civil and commercial cases from the country's south, including Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan.

It's designed to save litigants time and money, instead of being forced to travel to Beijing.

He Xiaorong is the director of the Supreme People's Court's Judicial Reform Office.

"All the judicial decisions, including judgments, adjudications and decisions, made by the circuit court are just as valid as the Supreme Court decisions in Beijing."

Presiding judges in the circuit courts will be rotated every two years in an attempt to avoid creating binding personal interests with local officials.

Liu Guixiang is the chief judge of the Shenzhen circuit court.

"Our principle is that presiding judges who hear the case will be fully responsible. As such, the court head and deputy heads will no longer review the case. Instead, the presiding judge needs to both hear and review the case."

Aside from hearing cases in Shenzhen, Liu Guixiang says the circuit court will also travel to Hainan and Guangxi to hear local cases.

"When we visit Hainan and Guangxi, we will borrow facilities from local courts and have public hearings there. On top of this, we will send out presiding judges and other staffers to hold receptions. This will represent the features of 'circuit court', which are meant to tackle the local people's disputes and make litigation more convenient."

A second circuit court is slated to open later this month in the city of Shenyang to cover China's northeast.

The No.2 Circuit court will be in charge of cases in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

The creation of the circuit courts is part of the Chinese government's broader attempts to make the justice system more accountable and more trusted by the public.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.