Legal Daily:

Some say that the judicial system is the ultimate protector of social equity and justice, and procurators play an important role in it. Could you share with us the practical measures for training procurators to take on their responsibilities and promote social equity and justice? Thank you. 

Tong Jianming:

Thank you for your question. I will answer it. As you said, the judicial system is the ultimate protector of social equity and justice. To ensure its soundness, the caliber of judicial personnel is a matter of great importance. General Secretary Xi Jinping remarked insightfully: "To comprehensively advance law-based governance, it is essential to develop a high-caliber body of skilled and upright legal professionals." The SPP has regarded the development of a high-caliber body of procurators as a task of fundamental importance and has carried out integrated training to raise their political integrity, professional competence, and work ethics. Specifically, efforts cover the following aspects. 

First, we are integrating political awareness improvement into professional training. Seeing political awareness as the foremost requirement of professionalism, we have kept deepening the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era among all procurators. Moreover, we have carried out intensive education among Party members to stay true to the Party's original aspiration and founding mission and better understand Party history, among other initiatives. These efforts have ensured procurators' absolute loyalty, purity, and reliability. At the same time, we have set professional ability as the basic ability for carrying out supervision over case handling from a political perspective. We have compiled a series of textbooks on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and performing procuratorial duties. We have also brought procurators, judges, and police officers together for the same training sessions. So far, nearly 2,000 such sessions have been held, with the number of participants reaching over 380,000. The legal professionals participating in such sessions can update their judicial understanding and enhance their professional competence. 

Second, we are improving the basic capacity for legal supervision and pursuing qualitative changes in the work through integrated efforts. To improve the basic capacity for legal supervision, we have required procurators to pursue excellence at work. As mentioned a moment ago, we have introduced the ratio of a case and the relevant litigation procedures it must go through to measure the quality of case handling. We have also improved the mechanism for evaluating the performance of procurators. With these measures, we hope procurators will be more conscientious about serving China's big-picture interests and work for the people. To pursue qualitative changes, we are embracing the trend of digitalization. The SPP held a special meeting to discuss procuratorial digitalization. Plans have been made for further carrying out the procuratorial big data strategy so that big data will be made full use of to promote smart supervision and scientific management and address the disputes at their sources. The "digital revolution" is expected to improve the quality and effectiveness of legal supervision in the new era.

Third, we show great care for procurators by being strict with them. It takes a good blacksmith to make good steel. Procuratorial organs, tasked with the responsibility of legal supervision, must have the courage to carry out self-supervision. Regarding strict management and supervision as the biggest and most genuine care for procurators, we have continually reformed the mechanism for exercising procuratorial power. We have adopted rules for handling criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigations and introduced a list of procuratorial power to ensure that procuratorial power is exercised according to law. We have obliged procurators to be responsible by holding them accountable for any misconduct committed. Just as Mr. Gao Jingfeng said when answering a question about the judicial responsibility system, we must give effect to the responsibility system. We have initiated the process of holding the procurators accountable for their misconduct in the 246 misjudged criminal cases for which we have changed verdicts since 2018.

Moreover, 511 procurators have been held strictly to account. The judicial responsibility system has been implemented in real earnest. Some of them had retired for more than 10 or 20 years before being held accountable, which reflects lifelong accountability. Always upholding strict management and with the courage of self-reform, we have worked to fulfill the political responsibility of strictly governing Party members and procurators. Furthermore, we have already consolidated the achievements in educating procurators and rectifying their misconduct. We have carried out seven rounds of full-coverage disciplinary inspection tours and follow-up inspections, continually implemented the three rules for preventing interference in judicial activities, and coordinated action to raise the awareness, ability, and resolve to resist corruption.

Developing a body of high-caliber procurators is a never-ending journey. We will follow the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping that officials must be politically strong and highly competent, have a strong sense of responsibility, strictly observe disciplines, and maintain excellent conduct to unremittingly improve ourselves and strive to develop a loyal, upright and responsible army of procurators.

Thank you.

Chen Wenjun: 

Thank you to all speakers and friends from the media. Today's press conference is now concluded.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Zhang Liying, Gong Yingchun, Liu Sitong, Zhang Jiaqi, Zhou Jing, Xu Kailin, Qin Qi, Liu Qiang, Yuan Fang, Yang Xi, Li Xiao, Li Huiru, David Ball, Tom Arnsten, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.