Chinese courts urged to promote mediation

NANCHANG -- The Supreme People's Court (SPC) has urged courts at various levels to further advance alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediations.

Local courts should work with relevant organizations and government agencies to develop one-stop dispute settlement mechanisms for typical areas, so as to promote an interconnected social dispute settlement mechanism besides court litigation, said a statement issued Thursday after a symposium attended by presidents of higher courts across the country.

In 2018, a total of 706,000 cases were solved through designated mediations before case-filing and 352,000 cases through mediation after case-filing.

A total of 15.3 percent of civil and commercial cases in the first instance were mediated by specially appointed mediators, according to the SPC.