BEIJING -- China's Chief Justice Zhou Qiang has called on the country's courts to make full use of big data to modernize the justice system, the People's Court Daily reported Saturday.

Zhou, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said that courts nationwide need to use big data to modernize the justice system, improve their work and provide better service in the country's development, according to the newspaper run by the SPC.

He also urged courts to use other high-tech tools, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

"Applying new technology in promoting justice can make judicial practices more open, transparent and predictable," Zhou said.

In a move to improve the efficiency and transparency of judicial practice, China launched a national network for probation and commutation Thursday.

The network, developed by the SPC, Supreme People's Procuratorate and Ministry of Justice, can record and transfer information about prisons and legal cases across the country's judiciary.