China's top court announced a decline in criminal cases over the past nine months, underscoring the judiciary's role in safeguarding national security and maintaining social stability.

From January to September 2025, courts nationwide heard 804,000 first-instance criminal cases, an 11.61 percent decrease compared with the same period in 2024, according to data released Tuesday by the Supreme People's Court.

During the same period, 77,000 individuals were sentenced to five or more years in prison, a year-on-year decrease of 4.86 percent. In addition, 2,719 cases involving the production and sale of harmful or poisoned food were resolved, down 14.84 percent from 2024, the data showed.

Courts at all levels have also stepped up efforts against fraud, resolving 71,000 such cases and issuing a related judicial interpretation, the top court said.

While tightening measures against crimes threatening people's lives and property, Chinese courts have increasingly focused on civil cases, particularly those concerning employment, business operations, securities, and intellectual property.

From January to September 2025, courts across the country heard 648,000 first-instance labor-related disputes, a 37.5 percent year-on-year increase. Cases involving companies totaled 147,000, up 70.21 percent from 2024.

In the same period, about 20,000 securities-related cases and 454,000 intellectual property lawsuits were resolved, marking year-on-year increases of 63.22 percent and 33.78 percent, respectively, according to the data.

To support high-level opening-up, Chinese courts handled 35,000 civil and commercial disputes involving foreign parties, a rise of about 60 percent year-on-year. The top court also issued guidelines to promote the high-quality development of international commercial courts, the data showed.