ZHEJIANG COURT BROADCASTS TRIAL ONLINE

UNCLAS SHANGHAI 000215 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN AND CRAWFORD AND OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FOR LATIMER TREASURY FOR AMB. HOLMER, WRIGHT, TSMITH TREASURY FOR OASIA - DOHNER, HAARSAGER, CUSHMAN COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC - DAS KASOFF, MELCHER, MCQUEEN COMMERCE FOR ITA/OGC - SULLIVAN NSC FOR WILDER AND TONG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KJUS CH SUBJECT: ZHEJIANG COURT BROADCASTS TRIAL ONLINE Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. Not for dissemination outside USG channels. ¶1. (SBU) In a move to increase transparency in its judicial system, the Zhejiang High Court carried a simulcast of the proceedings of a commercial dispute trial on its website on April 12. According to Zhejiang High Court Foreign Affairs Office Director Chen Zhongping, this was the first time a provincial high court in China broadcast a live trial online. Chen, the official in charge of the Zhejiang High Court simulcast, said the purpose was to expand judicial transparency and help ordinary people understand court procedures. The project was initiated by Zhejiang High Court President Yin Yong, who was appointed last year and has made increased transparency a priority. Ying had made a formal commitment to broadcast trials during a Zhejiang People's Congress meeting in February ¶2007. ¶2. (SBU) Chen added that the Zhejiang High Court planned to broadcast select additional cases this year that had "wide social influence" and in which there was public interest, including criminal cases. Chen said it was unlikely that other provincial high courts would follow Zhejiang's example and broadcast trials. However, he had heard that there were some lower-level courts in Beijing and Jinling that had broadcast trials online in the past. ¶3. (SBU) Chen said the trial was not only broadcast on the Zhejiang High Court's website (www.zjcourt.cn),but also on the Zhejiang provincial government website (http://zjnews.zjol.com.cn). He noted that, in the future, the Zhejiang High Court would notify the public five days in advance to encourage more people to view the trials. Zhejiang High Court officials had actually informed FSN Rule of Law Coordinator (ROLC) a week before the broadcast. The trial itself took about two hours and was a typical breach of contract case between two Chinese companies. Except for the defense attorney appearing extremely nervous, the trial appeared to be completely ordinary. ¶4. (SBU) Although Chen claimed that the broadcast was covered by the local press, the Consulate found only a few articles. Xinhua (China's official news agency) had a short article. The Zhejiang Provincial Government's website (http://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/05zjnews/system/20 07/04/13/00833 4999.shtml) had a longer piece. The website article said approximately 5000 people watched the trial during the first hour in which it was broadcast. The article itself had been viewed by netizens 180,000 times. Comments posted to the article were overwhelmingly positive, with one netizen commenting that the simulcast was a "good step and development." ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The Zhejiang High Court has been active in the past year in initiating transparency projects and courting cooperation with the Consulate on rule of law issues. Zhejiang High Court officials recently hosted a U.S. voluntary speaker and have told Consulate ROLC of their interest in more dialogue and exchanges with U.S. legal experts. Consulate staff will continue to encourage the high court in its efforts and believe it could serve as a good partner for future rule of law projects in East China. JARRETT