China held its first seminar on the creation of a new type of judicial think tank on Dec 14 in Shanghai.

China's first seminar on the creation of a new type of judicial think tank was held on Dec 14 in Shanghai. [Photo/hshfy.sh.cn]

The Shanghai Judicial Think Tank Institute was established as the country's first judicial think tank at the provincial level on the same day.

Zhang Shuyuan, vice president of the Supreme People's Court of China (SPC), attended the seminar, saying that "the new type of judicial think tank with Chinese characteristics is part of the soft power of China's national governance system and modern governance capacity."

"It will play an ever important role in national governance and legal construction." added Zhang.

The institute in Shanghai will surely provide experience which could be copied and widely applied for judicial think tank construction in the future, said Zhang.

The SPC has focused on the building of judicial think tanks, said Zhang, adding that a series of them exists at the national level, such as the Chinese Judicial Studies Institute and the Judicial Case Review Institute.

The new think tank should be issue-centered and work based on national conditions, according to Zhang.

It should also have an international vision to better implement the rule of law with Chinese characteristics, he said.

Over 100 officials from courts, national security agencies, civil affairs bureaus and public security bureaus attended the seminar.