Internet courts cut trial time by 70 percent

The use of online methods by China’s three internet courts has significantly reduced the time spent on trials, Zhou Qiang, the president of the Supreme People’s Court, said on Thursday. The duration of a trial at the internet courts has been reduced to an average 29 minutes, about 73 percent less than an offline trial, Zhou told the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress as he delivered a report on improving civil adjudication to ensure sustained and healthy economic and social development. China’s three internet courts, located in Hangzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou, mainly handle civil and administrative cases related to the internet, such as contract disputes involving online shopping, service and small loans, copyright and infringement lawsuits, domain name disputes and some administrative lawsuits.