Justice and efficiency are the main themes of Chinese people's courts in the 21st century, said President of China's Supreme People's Court Xiao Yang Wednesday at a national conference.

He told the conference attended by the heads of higher courts across the country that all courts should be open in their judicial activities, legal in their procedure, strict in handling cases, fair in judgment, and compatible with the law in executing sentences.

To reach the goal, Chinese courts at different levels should conduct trials fairly, improve the quality of judges, and promote the reform of courts, he noted.

Courts will play a bigger role in dealing with contradictions and disputes that used to be handled by the government, Xiao said.

He warned of the newly-emerging crimes, including cult group crimes, hi-tech crimes, and mafia-like crimes, which are greatly detrimental to the social order and safety of people and property.

The judicial assistance system should be further reinforced to make it affordable for everyone to go to court, Xiao said.

The president announced that a campaign on professional ethics of judges will be launched throughout China this year.

(People's daily 2001/01/03)