BEIJING - Chinese Justice Minister Wu Aiying on Thursday championed efforts to provide legal assistance for impoverished people, in a move to safeguard social justice.

Speaking at a meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the implementation of China's legal assistance regulation, Wu stressed the importance of offering fit-for-purpose legal aid to litigants and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of suspects, defendants and victims.

She said the quality of legal assistance should be improved and its coverage should be expanded so that it is more accessible to the poor.

The minister also underlined the significance of strengthening supervision over legal assistance and supporting the training of personnel for this field.

The number of legal assistance cases has risen remarkably in the past five years in China. According to official statistics, legal-assistance agencies in the country handled more than 1 million cases and accepted consultations from about 5.76 million people in 2012, an increase of 87 percent and about 30 percent, respectively, compared with that of 2008.

Legal assistance refers to help offered to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation or access the court system.