All levels of governments should improve their administrative systems to combat corruption, said Huang Jingjun, a member of the Ninth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Chinese Chief Justice Xiao Yang delivered a work report from the Supreme People's Court, stating that the court will seriously punish economic crimes such as smuggling, export tax rebate fraud, the making and marketing of fake commodities and financial fraud.

"To firmly implement the tasks, it is a must to enhance the education of cadres in the fields of law and related disciplines," Huang said.

Apart from the battle against corruption, members stressed that judicial fairness and efficiency should be placed at the top of the agenda of China's courts.

"Only by enhancing the general quality of the contingent will the judicial authority be respected," said Ni Guoxi, a CPPCC member from Jiangxi Province, who noted that the improvement in the quality of judges should be among the top priorities of the court reform programme.

Members appealed for improvements in the people's jury system in China, saying it is very important to safeguard the country's judicial fairness.

You Qingquan, a CPPCC member from Hubei Province, said that as an important judicial system of China, the people's jury system should function effectively. "The system only exists in name in many places or is not implemented at all," he said.

(China Daily 03/13/2001)