China's procuratorates file over 670,000 public interest litigation cases in 5 yrs

BEIJING -- Procuratorial organs across China filed over 670,000 public interest litigation cases from July 2017 to the end of June 2022, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Thursday.

Of the cases, 58,000 were civil lawsuits and 614,000 were administrative cases, according to the SPP.

As a result, an approximate total of 7.86 million mu (about 524,000 hectares) of damaged farmlands, forests, wetlands and grasslands were restored, with 9.35 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion) recovered for ecological restoration, the SPP said.

Procuratorates facilitated the clearing of over 45.8 million tonnes of household and solid waste over the past five years.

Approximately 1.82 million kg of counterfeit and poor quality food were confiscated, as well as 60,000 kg of counterfeit and smuggled drugs, the SPP said.

China began to institute public interest litigation on July 1, 2017, after the country's top legislature incorporated the practice into law by passing amendments to civil and administrative procedure laws.

Over the past five years, the SPP has also launched various supervision campaigns focusing on areas including the ecological environment, food and drug safety, and workplace safety.