Supreme People’s Court Calls for Legal and Coordinated Governance of Emerging Crimes

Beijing, January 20. The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) emphasized the need for more law-based and coordinated governance of emerging crimes, along with stricter administrative and criminal penalties, during a national meeting of high court presidents held in Beijing on Monday.

In a statement, the SPC noted that crimes committed using internet information technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are becoming more covert, malicious in intent, and socially harmful. Therefore, such crimes should be punished more severely to promote fairness and justice.

While cracking down hard on high-tech professional criminal gangs and crimes carried out through online coordination, the SPC stated that courts should also thoroughly expose the methods, nature, and harm of these crimes to better educate and warn the public.

Observing that overall criminal cases are on a downward trend, with serious crimes decreasing and minor crimes increasing, the SPC said criminal justice policies must become more targeted.

Courts will maintain a firm stance of severe punishment against crimes that seriously endanger national security and social stability, violate legal and ethical boundaries, or provoke strong public resentment.

However, the SPC noted that for minor offenses carrying lighter statutory penalties, the focus will shift to rehabilitating offenders and addressing the root causes of these crimes.

The SPC also reported that the upward trend in juvenile crime cases was effectively contained in 2025.

The court urged criminal trials to better protect minors’ civil and administrative rights, while requiring civil and administrative trials to eliminate negative factors that could lead to juvenile delinquency. It called for a coordinated social governance approach, deepening efforts in family education guidance, recommending specialized schooling, and preventing student bullying to enhance overall protection for minors.