Why China’s government is hushing up court rulings

OVER THE past three decades China’s legal system has been gradually improving, albeit from a low base. The Communist Party still dominates the system: Xi Jinping, China’s leader, considers judicial independence a dangerous idea. Suspected criminals who end up in court are found guilty 99% of the time. But analysts reckon the quality of judges on the civil and commercial side has got better and corruption has decreased. The World Bank has a rule-of-law measure that uses indicators like property rights and judicial independence. In 2006 China was in the bottom third of countries. By 2022 it was in the top half.Better pay for judges and harsher punishments for misconduct have helped. But one crucial change has been more transparency. A decade ago China’s courts were ordered to upload all but the most sensitive of their rulings to a database called China Judgments Online, which was open to anyone. The platform grew to contain over 140m decisions. This unprecedented window into the system was a boon for civil-society groups, which could refer to cases in their campaigns to, say, protect the environment or defend women’s rights.