BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Monday began reviewing a draft law on procuratorial public-interest litigation, which seeks to refine the scope of cases covered and improve relevant procedural rules.
The draft is now under its third reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, which runs through Friday.
The draft also clarifies jurisdictional provisions and aligns them with other relevant laws, including the Ecological and Environmental Code, which took effect in August this year.
Following its second reading in June, which added protections for older people, people with disabilities and other groups, the latest draft authorizes procuratorates to bring public-interest litigation in cases involving the building of accessible environments.
Formulating a law on procuratorial public-interest litigation is of great significance for protecting national and public interests and improving the public interest litigation system, said Huang Haihua, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.
He added that the draft law provides a systematic framework covering the scope of cases eligible for procuratorial public interest litigation, investigation and evidence collection, pre-litigation and trial procedures, consolidating key institutional achievements drawn from China's practice in this area.
The system of procuratorial public interest litigation was launched on a trial basis in 2015 and formally introduced nationwide in 2017.
Its remit has gradually expanded from environmental protection and food and drug safety to areas such as child protection, workplace safety, data privacy and combating telecom fraud.
Between July 2015 and September 2025, prosecutors across China handled more than 1.22 million public interest litigation cases, according to official data.
In practice, prosecutors prioritize resolving public interest concerns before taking cases to court. During the same period, they issued more than 868,000 procuratorial suggestions to administrative authorities, which achieved a rectification response rate of 98.5 percent. ■
