THE LEGAL SYSTEM in China is maturing fast. Although the law in the country has a very long history, the system has recently been evolving rapidly in many ways, such as in dealing with international cases, using digital technology, and fostering the rise of women judges.
The Supreme Court of China this week celebrated female judges, as part of a new UN tradition to mark March 10 as their special day. The court’s website featured female judges, including Fu Lei, pictured at the top. Judge Fu Lei is the Presiding Judge of the Third Civil Division (Intellectual Property Rights Division) of the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing.
GOOD MARKS IN THE ANNUAL WORK REPORT
CHINA’S ANTI-CORRUPTION BODIES had a busy year, with a 22% rise in prosecutions, the head of the country’s top court reported on Monday.
More than 36,000 cases of corruption and bribery were handled in 2025, said Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People’s Court.
Continuous anti-corruption work is widely considered to be among the key reasons for the popularity of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Courts had coordinated efforts to hunt down corrupt officials who fled overseas, and seized or confiscated 18.14 billion yuan in illicit gains, Zhang said.
PROCURATOR-GENERAL LOOKS AT FINANCIAL CRIME
China’s other top legal body, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, had a work report, which was delivered by Ying Yong, procurator-general. This body also deals with corruption, known as “duty-related cases” in China. In 2025, procuratorial bodies accepted cases against 30,500 people involved in duty-related crime.
“In an effort to address corruption in key sectors, procuratorates prosecuted 9,174 individuals for duty-related crimes in the financial sector, state-owned enterprises and energy sector,” Xinhua reported.
Other areas which took prosecutors’ time in 2025 was the cyber sector, with a growing number of internet crimes being detected in China, as is common in most countries now.
HONG KONG DELEGATES APPRECIATIVE
Delegates at the National People’s Congress expressed their appreciation for the way the two bodies had handled their heavy workload.
“The Supreme People’s Court has consistently promoted high-quality judicial services to safeguard security and development, creating a peaceful and harmonious society for the country and the people, while also building a fair business environment,” said Herman Hu Shao-ming, representing Hong Kong.
The praise was international, he said, pointing out that the World Bank’s regular reports in its “Doing Business” series recognized the high standards of the courts in Beijing and Shanghai.
COURTS TO OPEN TO NEW CURRENCIES
Meanwhile, several commentators focused on financial implications. In a February 24 press conference, a Supreme People’s Court spokesman said a work priority was to “conduct in-depth research on judicial response measures for new types of financial cases such as private equity funds and virtual currencies.”
One commentator, Li Xinji of PA News Lab, said that cryptocurrencies were in the past discussed in negative contexts, such as their use in fraud or money laundering.
“Today, however, it has been officially included in the Supreme People’s Court’s annual work plan, appearing alongside ‘securities market’ and ‘private equity funds’,” he said. This implied a new openness to next generation finance possibilities—and suggested that Chinese courts, which tended to reject cryptocurrency cases, may not do so in future.
“The most important change is that the courts are no longer closed when disputes arise,” he wrote.