The Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) recently issued a circular on improving the mechanism of legal supervision over maritime courts, designating 11 people's procuratorates of prefecture-level cities to oversee civil litigation, administrative litigation, and enforcement activities of maritime courts.
These designated procuratorates are authorized to issue procuratorial recommendations to the maritime courts in accordance with the law during case handling, or to request protests through their higher-level procuratorates when necessary as measures to exercise supervisory duties.
The circular stipulates that provincial-level procuratorates are instructed to strengthen professional guidance for maritime-related procuratorial work, enhance specialized task forces for complex caseloads while recruiting, cultivating, and deploying qualified professionals, and lead efforts to establish trans-regional coordination mechanisms among procuratorial organs.
In cases where maritime court supervision involves jurisdictions outside the designated procuratorate, other procuratorates are required to offer support and cooperation under collaborative principles.
The circular requires that maritime courts improve their mechanisms for accepting supervision and ensure effective communication and coordination with procuratorates fulfilling their legal supervisory duties. Collaborative efforts should focus on establishing systems for information sharing, case reporting, joint training, and access to case files, in a bid to foster a robust cooperative force in maritime adjudication and procuratorial activities.
