Online courts ease access to legal services

White paper touts country's efforts to offer convenient, efficient litigation

Chinese people have been given easier access to litigation and legal services since the country's top court has strengthened efforts in building "smart" courts over the past five years, according to a white paper.

Chinese courts have applied technologies into their case handling and have built three internet courts since 2012 to offer more convenience to litigants and to improve judicial efficiency and transparency, the paper said.

In August 2017, China opened its first internet court in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, mainly covering internet and intellectual property rights cases, including disputes involving online loans, online shopping contracts and online copyright issues, said the paper released by the Supreme People's Court entitled "Chinese courts and internet judiciary".