Busy year on cards for courts

Courts in Beijing will handle more economic cases this year, as the number of companies affected by the global financial crisis continues to grow, the city's top judge said yesterday.

Speaking at an annual work conference in the capital, Chi Qiang, president of the Beijing Municipal High People's Court, said: "Cases related to finance, real estate, bankruptcy, company liquidations and foreign-related economic cases will increase significantly this year.

"There will also be a rise in the number of cases involving labor disputes."