Prosecutors working to improve dispute resolution processes

Nationwide procuratorates have resolved over 65,000 administrative disputes since 2019, including 3,400 cases that have been pending for more than a decade, the Supreme People's Procuratorate announced Wednesday.

The resolutions were achieved through a variety of means, including supervision and correction, mediation, public hearings, judicial assistance, and legal explanations.

Administrative disputes refer to legal conflicts arising from administrative acts between administrative departments and administrative counterparts in the course of exercising public power and conducting administrative management activities.

Zhang Xiangjun, director of the SPP's administrative procuratorial department, noted that a prominent public concern in judicial practice remains unresolved administrative disputes even after litigation concludes.

To strengthen prevention and resolution of such disputes, the Supreme People's Court, SPP, and Ministry of Justice jointly launched the "3+N" working mechanism in 2024, involving eight central departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Additionally, the three authorities released conference minutes on dispute resolution in five key areas such as social security and real estate registration, hosted two seminars, and joined the eight departments in signing a cooperation memorandum this year.

Zhang emphasized that procuratorial organs will integrate substantive dispute resolution into the entire judicial process, enhance relevant awareness and capabilities, supervise administrative departments' law-based performance of duties, and seek optimal legal solutions acceptable to both the public and governments.

Efforts will also be made to further improve the working mechanism, unify standards for administrative law enforcement, reconsideration, trial, and procuratorial work, he said, adding that refining the multi-dimensional dispute resolution system, and strengthening inter-mechanism coordination to address administrative disputes at the source are also key area for improvement.