Chinese courts livestream more than 560,000 trials

Chinese courts have livestreamed more than 560,000 trials to the public as of the end of 2017, aiming to make judicial proceedings more transparent, China's top court said on Thursday.

In late 2013, the media department of the Supreme People's Court established a website to broadcast trials to improve public understanding of hearings and increase transparency, according to a statement from the department.

As of Sunday, the website has received more than 4.2 billion visits, and the number is still rising rapidly, it said.

Meanwhile, 38,206 judges from 3,314 courts nationwide, covering 94 percent of Chinese courts, have joined the network, it said, adding that 530 of those judges were presidents or vice-presidents of courts.

The platform has improved judicial transparency and increased credibility of Chinese courts, "and it will move to cover all courts in China and boost interactions with visitors," it added.