By the end of June, China had 340,000 people's assessors, marking an increase of nearly 62 percent since 2018 when a relevant law was enacted, according to a report under review by Chinese lawmakers.
The report on people's assessors was submitted for consideration on Tuesday during the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body.
China's people's assessor system allows ordinary citizens to participate directly in judicial proceedings, granting them the right to be informed, participate, express opinions, and oversee judicial activities. Established in the 1930s, this system enables citizens serving as assessors to assist judges and evaluate evidence during trials.
In April 2018, the NPC Standing Committee passed a law regulating the selection, duties, and conduct of people's assessors, which took effect immediately.
According to the report, assessors come from diverse backgrounds, with more than half being grassroots officials, farmers, social workers, and gig workers. Among them, 37,000 are from ethnic minority groups, and 304 are from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan. Furthermore, in 2026, 831 new assessors were chosen from active-duty military personnel to better serve and uphold military law.
The report highlights the growing role of assessors in cases involving public interest, high-profile issues, and complex facts, noting that the law specifies that cases with significant social influence should be heard by a seven-member panel consisting of judges and assessors.
Since the law's implementation, assessors have participated in over 15.5 million cases, including more than 3.66 million criminal cases, the report shows. About 45,000 cases were handled by the seven-member panels, including a significant illegal sand mining case in the Yangtze River and a case involving a pregnant woman falling off a cliff overseas.
The report also mentions that to ensure assessors perform their duties effectively, several cities and provinces have developed rules and guidance to streamline their workflow and familiarize them with their roles and the litigation process. Additionally, the report notes that since the beginning of this year, 49,000 assessors have helped resolve 186,000 disputes through mediation, contributing to raising public legal awareness, promoting the healthy development of relevant industries, and serving grassroots governance.
