国内英语新闻:Senior CPC official calls for advances in judicial reform

SHENZHEN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has called for advances in judicial system reform.

Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made the call at a meeting on pushing judicial reform, held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

Guo spoke of the need to make progress in rule of law and building a socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics.

He stressed the absolute leadership of the Party and a people-centered approach to reform. He also emphasized that the system needed to be well-organized, effective and professional.

Meanwhile, at the meeting, courts and procuratorates are ordered to further streamline structures to let more judicial personnel work at the forefront of case-handling.

The Internet court should expand its pilot areas and a state-level system can be explored to hear appeals of intellectual property cases, according to the meeting. The public interest litigation system should be reformed while the establishment of a prosecutor assistant system can be tested.

Police departments need to be restructured. Areas of deepening reform also include government legislation, administrative review, prisons, community correction, and compulsory isolated drug rehabilitation.