2nd Ld-Writethru-China Focus: China's judicial system pledges firm hand against threats of state security

China's judicial system on Sunday pledged a firm offensive against threats of state security, including terrorism, secessionism and religious extremism.

"Chinese courts will well implement the laws on state security and counter-terrorism and severely punish terrorists and secessionists," said Chief Justice Zhou Qiang when delivering a work report on the Supreme People's Court at the ongoing session of the National People's Congress.

Last year, Chinese courts convicted 1,419 criminals harming state security, including those taking part in terrorist attacks and secessionist activities, in 1,084 cases.

The courts also stepped up efforts against criminals who instigated secessionist activities; who led, organized and took part in terrorist groups; and who spread video and audio products about terrorism, he said.

Prosecutors took more efforts in prosecuting suspects involved in terrorists attacks, said Procurator-General Cao Jianming when delivering a work report on the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Sunday.

The SPP supervised prosecutors in Xinjiang and Tibet to better handle security-related problems, and worked with the SPC and Ministry of Public Security on proper application of law on terrorist attacks and criminal cases involving religious extremists.

This year, the SPP will make concrete efforts to improve its capacity of safeguarding state security and social stability, Cao vowed in his report.

The SPP will firmly crack down on hostile attempts to infiltrate the country, subvert the government and cause destruction, as well as terrorist attacks, and secessionist and extremist activities.

Other priorities include organizational crimes and extreme violence by individuals.

Last year, Chinese courts convicted 1.23 million people in 1.1 million criminal cases, a year-on-year increase of 4 percent, while prosecutors charged more than 1.39 million suspects.

Last month, a senior counter-terrorism official described China's current anti-terrorism situation as "stable and under control" but stressed that terrorism is nonetheless permeating further in the country under the influence of international terrorists' activities.

"Domestic and overseas 'East Turkistan' forces are stepping up their instigating efforts, and there's a growing tendency of activities that are masterminded overseas, organized online and implemented within the country," said Liu Yuejin, counter-terrorism commissioner of the Ministry of Public Security.

Liu stressed that "a very few persons with terrorist thinking" are still secretly planning violence and sabotage activities in the country, and violence and terror incidents still occurred occasionally in some parts of Xinjiang. Endi