Court website simplifies procedures in Beijing

Beijing courts have simplified procedures for the public to file lawsuits and have urged judges to boost their efficiency through a website established at the end of last year.

Residents can apply to courts on the China Trial Information Website, downloading judicial documents and contacting judges, according to a statement issued by the Beijing High People's Court on Wednesday.

Since the website went online in December, 4,039 people have used it to apply to file cases, of which 1,352 applications were accepted by the capital's courts, the statement said.

The website also opened platforms for the public to contact judges, ask for judicial consultation and register complaints, aiming to accelerate legal procedures and make them transparent to residents, the statement said.

"We require every judge to reply to litigants' questions online in timely fashion and sometimes ask them to interact with netizens as well," said Wang Mingda, vice-president of the high court.