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{{short description|Chinese national legal agency}}{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China
| nativename_a    = 中华人民共和国最高人民检察院
| logo            = Supreme People's Procuratorate of P.R.China's badge .svg
| logo_caption    = Emblem of the People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China
| image           = 最高检大门.jpg
| image_caption   = External gate of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
| formed          = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1954|9|27}}
| agency_type     = China's highest legal supervision agency
| jurisdiction    = People's Republic of China
| headquarters    = [[Beijing]]
| chief1_name     = [[Ying Yong]]
| chief1_position = <br><small>Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief2_name     = [[Tong Jianming]]
| chief2_position = <br><small>Executive Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief3_name     = Sun Qian
| chief3_position = <br><small>Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief4_name     = Zhang Xueqiao
| chief4_position = <br><small>Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief5_name     = Chen Guoqing
| chief5_position = <br><small>Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief6_name     = Liu Wei
| chief6_position = <br><small>Head of the Disciplinary Inspection and Supervision Team</small>
| chief7_name     = Pan Yiqin
| chief7_position = <br><small>Director of the Political Department</small>
| chief8_name     = Gong Ming
| chief8_position = <br><small>Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| chief9_name     = Zhang Zhijie
| chief9_position = <br><small>Deputy Prosecutor-General</small>
| parent_agency   = [[National People's Congress]]
| child1_agency   =
| child2_agency   =
| website         = {{Official URL}}
| footnotes       =
}}
{{Politics of China |expanded = Judiciary }}
The '''Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China''' ('''SPP''') is the highest national agency responsible for legal [[Prosecutor|prosecution]] and prosecutorial investigation in China. The SPP reports to the [[National People's Congress]] (NPC).
The Procuratorate acts as a public prosecutor for criminal cases, conducting both the relevant investigations and prosecutions of such cases. The agency also reviews the legal rulings of the local and special procuratorates, the lower [[Local people's court|people's courts]], and issues [[judicial interpretation]]s.
Conceived initially in 1949 as the '''Supreme People's Prosecutor's Office''', the agency was renamed the Supreme People's Procuratorate in 1954. The Procuratorate was abolished during the [[Cultural Revolution]], before being re-instated in 1978. Between the 1990s and 2010s, the agency experienced a host of reforms pertaining to its selection of personnel, internal organization and role in the management of corruption.
Beginning in March 2018, the Supreme People's Procuratorate no longer undertakes the initial investigation of corruption cases by government officials; this task is undertaken by the newly formed [[National Supervisory Commission]].
The Supreme People's Procuratorate is organized into ten specialized prosecutor's offices, which operate under the direction of a Procuratorial Committee. Led by a Prosecutor-General, the Procuratorate is also composed of several Deputy Prosecutors-General and additional prosecutors. The Prosecutor-General is appointed by the NPC, which also elects the other members of the Supreme People's Procuratorate at the Prosecutor-General's recommendation. The current Prosecutor-General of the People's Republic of China is [[Ying Yong]].
== History ==
=== Origins ===
The most rudimentary version of the Supreme People's Procuratorate was established in September 1949 with the promulgation of the [[Organic law|Organic Law]] of the [[Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (1949–1954)|Central People's Government.]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ginsburgs |first1=George |last2=Stahnke |first2=Arthur |date=December 1964 |title=The Genesis of the People's Procuratorate in Communist China 1949–1951 |journal=[[The China Quarterly]] |language=en |volume=20 |pages=1–37 |doi=10.1017/S0305741000048323 |issn=0305-7410 |s2cid=154662934}}</ref> Initially titled the "People's Prosecutor-General's Office", the Supreme People's Procuratorate was the first national agency tasked with the supervision of the law in the newly founded People's Republic of China.<ref name=":0" />
The responsibilities of the initial Procuratorate were formalized in the 1951 [[Statute]]s.<ref name=":0" /> As described by academics Ginsburgs and Stahnke, the agency's powers encompassed:
* Overseeing the abidance of the law by all individuals, public organizations and [[Government of China|state agencies]];
* The investigation of individuals who breach the law or [[Chinese Communist Party|state]] interests;
* The ability to reject judgements made by lower judicial bodies;
* The supervision of legal abidance in the [[Penal system in China|nation-wide prison system]];
* The ability to review and reopen cases dropped by lower procuratorates when [[petition]]ed;
* Serving as a legal representative for the Party's interests in civil and administrative [[lawsuit]]s.<ref name=":0" />
Alongside these functions, the Procuratorate was able to prosecute anyone deemed suspicious and warranting investigation and could request information from other state organs to assist with the prosecutorial process.<ref name=":0" /> The Procuratorate also had the ability to establish an office in each [[Administrative divisions of China|local government area]] to supervise and lead the judicial system in the locality.<ref name=":0" /> However, the Procuratorate was largely inactive following its inception.<ref name=":0" /> This changed in 1953 when investigation departments within the body were created.<ref name=":0" />
=== Rise and early years ===
In 1954, the People's Prosecutor-General's Office was renamed the "Supreme People's Procuratorate" at the first session of the [[1st National People's Congress|First National People's Congress.]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Ginsburgs |first1=George |last2=Stahnke |first2=Arthur |date=June 1968 |title=The People's Procuratorate in Communist China: The Institution Ascendant, 1954–1957 |journal=[[The China Quarterly]] |language=en |volume=34 |pages=82–132 |doi=10.1017/S0305741000014442 |issn=0305-7410 |s2cid=154473730}}</ref> The new Procuratorate was formally enacted in the [[1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China|1954 State Constitution]] subsequently adopted by the Congress,<ref name=":1" /> retaining its legal supervisory role. The jurisdiction of the Procuratorate was established as encompassing all government bodies, [[Official|public functionaries]] and [[Citizenship|citizens]] of China, except the [[Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (1949–1954)|Central People's Government]], which oversaw the agency's operation.<ref name=":0" />
=== Cultural Revolution ===
During the [[Cultural Revolution]] of 1966 – 1976, the people's procuratorates lost favor as they were perceived as an interference to the [[ideology of the Chinese Communist Party]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Kim|first=Chin|date=1977-01-01|title=The 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China|url=https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_international_comparative_law_review/vol1/iss2/1|journal=Hastings International and Comparative Law Review|volume=1|issue=2|pages=1|issn=0149-9246|access-date=2021-05-12|archive-date=2021-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513192006/https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_international_comparative_law_review/vol1/iss2/1/|url-status=live}}</ref> Reflecting this sentiment, the Supreme People's Procuratorate was abolished from the [[1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China|1975 State Constitution]] alongside all other procuratorates.<ref name=":2" /> Following its dissolution, the Procuratorate's powers of legal supervision over the state and individuals were transferred to the [[Ministry of Public Security (China)|police]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Chin|last2=Kearley|first2=Timothy|date=1979-01-01|title=The 1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China|url=https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_international_comparative_law_review/vol2/iss2/2|journal=Hastings International and Comparative Law Review|volume=2|issue=2|pages=251|issn=0149-9246|access-date=2021-05-12|archive-date=2021-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513224252/https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_international_comparative_law_review/vol2/iss2/2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Wang |first1=Chang |title=Inside China's legal system |last2=Madson |first2=Nathan H |publisher=Elsevier Science & Technology |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-85709-461-2 |location=Oxford, Cambridge, England; New Delhi, India |oclc=878805962}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Wedeman|first=Andrew|title=Handbook of China's governance and domestic politics|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2013|editor-last=Ogden|editor-first=Chris|location=London and New York|pages=182|chapter=Corruption}}</ref> The Supreme People's Procuratorate was subsequently re-established in 1978 via the reinstatement of the Organic Law of the People's Procuratorates in the [[1978 Constitution of the People's Republic of China|1978 State Constitution]]. Its renewal served as a mechanism for the Party to oversee and prevent [[Corruption in China|misconduct within the administration]].<ref name=":3" />
In 1980, the Supreme People's Procuratorate established a Special Procuratorate to investigate and prosecute the [[Lin Biao]] and [[Jiang Qing]] "counter-revolutionary cliques."<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |date=1 December 1980 |title=Trial of Lin-Jiang Cliques Begins |url=http://www.beijingreview.com.cn/50years/1980-48.pdf |url-status=live |journal=[[Beijing Review]] |volume=48 |pages=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525124818/http://www.beijingreview.com.cn/50years/1980-48.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2021 |access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref> In a trial led by the serving Prosecutor-General [[Huang Huoqing]], the [[defendant]]s were found guilty of plotting a [[Coup d'état|coup]] to overthrow the leaders of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] during the Cultural Revolution.<ref name=":12" />
=== Development and reform ===
In the 1990s, major reforms were made to the Chinese judicial system, including the people's courts and procuratorates.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Keyuan |first=Zou |date=2002 |title=Judicial Reform in China: Recent Developments and Future Prospects |journal=[[The International Lawyer]] |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=1039–1062 |issn=0020-7810 |jstor=40707698}}</ref> These changes occurred primarily in response to the [[Chinese economic reform|economic reform of China]] as a [[socialist market economy]], a development instigated by [[Deng Xiaoping's southern tour]] in 1992.<ref name=":13" /> In 1995, the Procurator's Law was introduced to "professionalize the judicial personnel" by raising the stringency of the requirements used to select procurators and other procuratorate personnel.<ref name=":13" /> Emphasis was placed on the selection of prosecutors and personnel based on merit, performance and experience in [[legal practice]].<ref name=":13" />
Further reform of the Procuratorate accompanied the adoption of the "Implementing Opinions of the Three-Year Procuratorial Reform" in January 2000.<ref name=":13" /> This reform affirmed the hierarchy of the procuratorates and formalised the role of the higher procuratorates supervising and directing procuratorates located beneath them.<ref name=":13" /> Alongside the reform, a new training program for procurators was introduced from 2001–2005 to manage workforce performance within the Procuratorate.<ref name=":13" />
In December 2018, major alterations were made to the internal organization of the Supreme People's Procuratorate through the [[restructuring]] of existing departments and the establishment of ten new prosecutor's offices.<ref name=":14" /> Four of these offices were established to handle the prosecution of various types of [[Criminal law|criminal cases]].<ref name=":14" /> The remaining six departments oversee "civil, administrative, public interest and juvenile cases, complaints handling, and investigation into duty crimes committed by judicial personnel," respectively, as reported by [[Xinhua News Agency]], China's official [[State media|state-run media]] agency.<ref name=":14" />
In November 2020, the Intellectual Property Prosecution Office of the Supreme People's Procuratorate was established to handle the investigation and prosecution of [[Intellectual property in China|intellectual property rights]] infringements.<ref name=":17">{{Cite journal|last=Mok|first=Susan|date=9 April 2021|title=The Role of the Procuratorate in Intellectual Property Cases|url=https://www.chinalawandpractice.com/2021/04/09/the-role-of-the-procuratorate-in-intellectual-property-cases/|journal=China Law & Practice|access-date=25 May 2021|archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525124819/https://www.chinalawandpractice.com/2021/04/09/the-role-of-the-procuratorate-in-intellectual-property-cases/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Anti-corruption enforcement ===
In 1979, the Supreme People's Procuratorate began its involvement in the investigation and prosecution of corruption by establishing a specialized department to investigate [[Financial crime|economic crimes]].<ref name=":18" /> Further pressure from student activists and Party members alike in the early 1990s led to the people's procuratorates developing more stringent protocols to manage corruption.<ref name=":18" /> Anti-corruption enforcement by the Supreme People's Procuratorate's grew in 1995 with the introduction of three new departments to manage corruption: the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bureau, the Corruption Prevention Department, and the Anti-Dereliction of Duty and Infringement of Citizens’ Rights Department.<ref name=":19">{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Li |last2=Wang |first2=Peng |date=27 May 2019 |title=From Institutional Interaction to Institutional Integration: The National Supervisory Commission and China's New Anti-corruption Model |journal=[[The China Quarterly]] |language=en |volume=240 |pages=967–989 |doi=10.1017/S0305741019000596 |issn=0305-7410 |s2cid=191834438}}</ref> However, the Procuratorate's supervision of corruption was later streamlined by legislation from the [[National People's Congress]] in late 2014, which resulted in the amalgamation of the agency's three anti-corruption departments into a single anti-corruption authority.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" />
In May 2017, the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau and [[Alibaba Group|Alibaba]] "to create a clean, credible, rule-of-law market environment."<ref name=":Liu">{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Lizhi |title=From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780691254104}}</ref>{{Rp|page=77}} Pursuant to the memorandum, the Bureau provides Alibaba and [[Ant Group]] with access to criminal records from bribery cases and Alibaba and Ant Group query those records including during verification of [[Taobao]] sellers and in connection with anti-money laundering initiatives and  financial risk controls.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=77}}
The management of corruption by the Chinese Communist Party was broadly transformed in 2018.<ref name=":19" /> At the March meeting of the [[13th National People's Congress]], a new anti-corruption agency titled the [[National Supervisory Commission]] was formally installed to consolidate the various anti-corruption authorities which existed under the Party, including those of the Procuratorate.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Tobias |url=https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/china-story-yearbook/power |title=China Story Yearbook: Power |date=2019-04-11 |publisher=[[ANU Press]] |isbn=978-1-76046-280-2 |editor-last=Golley |editor-first=Jane |edition=1st |chapter=Power Surge: China's New National Supervisory Commission |doi=10.22459/csy.2019 |access-date=2021-05-26 |editor2-last=Jaivin |editor2-first=Linda |editor3-last=Farrelly |editor3-first=Paul J. |editor4-last=Strange |editor4-first=Sharon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526122016/https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/china-story-yearbook/power |archive-date=2021-05-26 |url-status=live |doi-access=free |s2cid=242919674}}</ref> The Supreme People's Procuratorate role in anti-corruption enforcement was largely rescinded, with all these responsibilities directly transferred to the new National Supervisory Commission.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20" /> The Procuratorate's anti-corruption personnel saw a similar transition.<ref name=":20" />
== Powers and jurisdiction ==
The Supreme People's Procuratorate serves as the highest [[Prosecutor|prosecutorial power]] in the People's Republic of China, overseeing the nation's local and special procuratorates.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":18">{{Cite journal|last=Chen|first=Lyric|date=2017-10-05|title=Who Enforces China's Anti-corruption Laws? Recent Reforms of China's Criminal Prosecution Agencies and the Chinese Communist Party's Quest for Control|url=https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ilr/vol40/iss2/1|journal=Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review|volume=40|issue=2|pages=139|issn=0277-5417|access-date=2021-05-12|archive-date=2021-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084805/https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ilr/vol40/iss2/1/|url-status=live}}</ref> As determined by the [[Organic Law of the People's Courts of the People's Republic of China|Organic Law]], the primary function of the Procuratorate is to suppress illegal activities, particularly those which undermine the interests of China's ruling party, the [[Chinese Communist Party]].<ref name=":4" />
The jurisdiction of the Procuratorate encompasses all cases related to [[criminal law]], public and state security, people's courts, [[Penal system in China|prisons]], detention centers and labour institutions within the People's Republic of China.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Woo|first=Margaret|title=Handbook of China's governance and domestic politics|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2013|editor-last=Ogden|editor-first=Chris|location=London and New York|pages=56|chapter=Justice}}</ref> The agency does not oversee the prosecution of cases from the [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|special administrative region]]s of [[Hong Kong]] or [[Macau]], except those that are investigated by the [[Office for Safeguarding National Security of the CPG in the HKSAR]].<ref>{{cite act|type=|index=|date=1 July 2020|article=56|legislature=National People's Congress|title=Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region|trans-title=|page=|url=http://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2020-07-01/detail-ifzxrvxc0874078.shtml}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703091642/http://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2020-07-01/detail-ifzxrvxc0874078.shtml |date=2020-07-03 }}</ref>
As specified in the [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]], the Supreme People's Procuratorate nominally exerts its powers independently, without interference from "any administrative organ, social organization or individual."<ref name=":9" /> However, like the [[Supreme People's Court]], the Supreme People's Procuratorate must report to the [[National People's Congress]], the highest state body in China.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|last=Bo|first=Zhiyue|title=Handbook of China's governance and domestic politics|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2013|editor-last=Ogden|editor-first=Chris|location=London and New York|pages=18|chapter=State power and governance structures}}</ref>
=== Prosecution and litigation ===
The Supreme People's Procuratorate acts as a [[Prosecutor|public prosecutor]] by handling both the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases in court,<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wedeman |first=Andrew |date=2004 |title=The Intensification of Corruption in China |journal=[[The China Quarterly]] |volume=180 |issue=180 |pages=895–921 |doi=10.1017/S0305741004000670 |issn=0305-7410 |jstor=20192410 |s2cid=2920856}}</ref><ref name=":13" /> thus functioning as a [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] [[inquisitorial system]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal |last=Weidong |first=Ji |date=2013 |title=The Judicial Reform in China: The Status Quo and Future Directions |journal=Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=185 |doi=10.2979/indjglolegstu.20.1.185 |issn=1080-0727 |s2cid=204400267|url=https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1502&context=ijgls }}</ref> Such systems are also seen in [[Criminal justice system of Japan|Japan]] and [[Socialist law|socialist legal systems]].<ref name=":11" /> Within the Procuratorate, criminal prosecution is overseen by four specialized departments that oversee "regular crimes, serious crimes, duty crimes, and new-type crimes," respectively.<ref name=":14" /> The agency reviews and arbitrates on which [[Suspect|criminal suspects]] should be investigated and which criminal cases should be taken to a public prosecution.<ref name=":17" /> It may also initiate [[Public interest law|public interest litigation]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-10-28 |title=中华人民共和国人民检察院组织法 (2018年) |url=https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/organic-law-of-the-peoples-procuratorate-of-the-prc-2018/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526122007/https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/organic-law-of-the-peoples-procuratorate-of-the-prc-2018/ |archive-date=2021-05-26 |access-date=2021-05-26 |website=China Law Translate |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=October 2023}}
=== Legal supervision ===
[[File:最高检主楼.jpg|thumb|Exterior view of the Supreme People's Procuratorate headquarters]]
The Supreme People's Procuratorate conducts reviews of rulings and investigations performed by local and special procuratorates.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Qi |first=Ding |title=The Power of the Supreme People's Court: Reconceptualizing Judicial Power in Contemporary China |date=2019-08-09 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-429-19947-9 |edition=1 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9780429199479 |s2cid=158352070}}</ref> Additionally, for all types of cases, the Procuratorate may protest any rulings of the lower people's courts that it deems inappropriate or flawed by lodging a formal [[appeal]] with the [[Supreme People's Court]].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> For civil and administrative cases, including [[intellectual property]] cases, this intervention mainly occurs after the court has handed down a legally binding and enforceable decision.<ref name=":17" /> The Procuratorate may act in this manner by choice or when [[petition]]ed by a litigant involved in a given case.<ref name=":17" />
=== Judicial interpretations ===
The Procuratorate, either independently or in conjunction with the [[Supreme People's Court]], may also issue [[judicial interpretation]]s, which are official and legally binding interpretations of the law.<ref name=":6" /> These interpretations may serve as "replies" to individual cases, reminiscent of Roman law, or apply more broadly.<ref name=":23">{{Cite book|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-52344-6|title=Supreme Courts in Transition in China and the West|date=2017|publisher=Springer International Publishing|isbn=978-3-319-52343-9|editor-last=van Rhee|editor-first=Cornelis Hendrik|series=Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice|volume=59|location=Cham|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-52344-6|editor2-last=Fu|editor2-first=Yulin|access-date=2021-05-28|archive-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206215641/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-52344-6|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite theoretically possessing less legal authority than the law, academics C.H. van Rhee and Yulin Fu perceive the Procuratorate's judicial interpretations as being "almost as effective as law" in court.<ref name=":23" />
=== Supervision of the state ===
Between the 1980s to the early 2010s, the Supreme People's Procuratorate investigated and prosecuted [[Corruption in China|corruption]] and [[bribery]] through its anti-corruption departments.<ref name=":20" /> The Supreme People's Procuratorate also assisted the [[Central Commission for Discipline Inspection]] with the prosecution of party members relegated to a form of [[Extrajudicial punishment|extralegal]] detention known as ''[[Shuanggui]]''.<ref name=":6" /> ''Shuanggui'' is a procedure used to extract evidence and confessions from CCP members under investigation.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |date=2016-12-06 |title="Special Measures" |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/06/special-measures/detention-and-torture-chinese-communist-partys-shuanggui-system |url-status=live |journal= |language=en |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511221238/https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/06/special-measures/detention-and-torture-chinese-communist-partys-shuanggui-system |archive-date=2021-05-11 |access-date=2021-05-12}}</ref> Material obtained using ''Shuanggui'' was passed onto the Procuratorate and used in the prosecution of party members.<ref name=":7" />
As of March 2018, the Supreme People's Procuratorate no longer performs these responsibilities.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":19" /> These powers have instead been assumed by the [[National Supervisory Commission]], which campaigns against corruption in conjunction with the [[Central Commission for Discipline Inspection]] – the [[Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping|anti-graft agency of the Chinese Communist Party.]]<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":19" /> Some academics prompted that these changes have reduced the overall power of the Procuratorate.<ref name=":20" />
== Organisation ==
[[File:最高检主楼大厅.jpg|thumb|The lobby of the main building of the Supreme People's Procuratorate]]
The Supreme People's Procuratorate is led by a Procuratorial Committee, which oversees the operation of the Procuratorate under the direction of the Prosecutor-General.<ref name=":1" /> The agency is further organised into ten prosecutor's offices, which each oversee a specific type of crime or [[Lawsuit|litigation]].<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15">{{Cite web|title=最高检组建十个业务机构 突出系统性整体性重构性_中华人民共和国最高人民检察院|url=https://www.spp.gov.cn/tt/201901/t20190103_404281.shtml|access-date=2021-05-26|website=www.spp.gov.cn|archive-date=2021-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526112934/https://www.spp.gov.cn/tt/201901/t20190103_404281.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Various additional departments, such as the Political Work Department, also exist within the Procuratorate, to oversee additional affairs.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web|title=Supreme People's Procuratorate_china.org.cn|url=http://www.china.org.cn/node_7247529/content_40567428.htm|access-date=2021-05-26|website=www.china.org.cn|archive-date=2021-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526112930/http://www.china.org.cn/node_7247529/content_40567428.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Several subordinate institutions are also directly affiliated with the Procuratorate.<ref name=":16" />
The organisation of the Supreme People's Procuratorate is detailed below:<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Audit Commission – What's new|url=https://www.aud.gov.hk/eng/new/new_sum_icb.htm|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.aud.gov.hk|archive-date=2021-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923082353/https://www.aud.gov.hk/eng/new/new_sum_icb.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":17" />
=== Executive bodies ===
* Procuratorial Committee of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
** Office of the Prosecutor General
=== Internal departments ===
{{columns-list|
* General Affairs Office (Press Office)
* The First Prosecutor's Office (Regular Crime Prosecutor's Office)
* The Second Prosecutor's Office (Serious Crime Prosecutor's Office)
* The Third Prosecutor's Office (Occupational Crime Prosecutor's Office)
* The Fourth Prosecutor's Office (Economic Crime Prosecutor's Office)
* Fifth Prosecutor's Office (Judicial Personnel Crime Prosecutor's Office)
* Sixth Prosecutor's Office (Civil Prosecutor's Office)
* Seventh Prosecutors' Office (Administrative Prosecutors' Office)
* The Eighth Prosecutor's Office (Public Interest Litigation Prosecutor's Office)
* The Ninth Procuratorate (Juvenile Case Prosecutor's Office)
* Tenth Prosecutor's Office (Complaint and Appeal Prosecutor's Office)
* Legal Policy Research Office
* International Cooperation Bureau
* Political Work Department
* Planning, Financial and Equipment Bureau
* Investigation Supervision Department
* Reporting and Charges Center
* Bureau of Retired Officers
* Intellectual Property Prosecution Office
}}
=== Subordinate institutions ===
* Supreme People's Procuratorate Service Center
* The Procuratorate Daily (newspaper)
* China Procuratorate Publishing House
* Procuratorate Technology Information Research Center
* Procuratorate Theory Research Institute
* State Procurators College
== Members ==
[[File:最高检检察委员会会议室.jpg|thumb|View of the Procuratorate Committee of the Supreme People's Procuratorate from the chair of Prosecutor-General [[Zhang Jun (politician)|Zhang Jun]]]]
=== Prosecutor-General ===
The Supreme People's Procuratorate is led by a Prosecutor-General, who serves as the Chief Grand Prosecutor and President of the Procuratorate.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|title=Constitution of the People's Republic of China|url=http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/lawsregulations/201911/20/content_WS5ed8856ec6d0b3f0e9499913.html|access-date=2021-05-12|website=english.www.gov.cn|archive-date=2020-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123183322/http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/lawsregulations/201911/20/content_WS5ed8856ec6d0b3f0e9499913.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The office of the Prosecutor-General serves a five-year term, corresponding with the term length of the [[National People's Congress]].<ref name=":9" /> Each Prosecutor-General may serve a maximum of two terms.<ref name=":4" />
The Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate is elected by the [[National People's Congress]], in accordance with the Procurators Law of the People's Republic of China.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Procurators Law of the People's Republic of China|url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/c23934/202012/8b5601506cde4341b1d24ae2bfd195ee.shtml|access-date=2021-05-12|website=www.npc.gov.cn|archive-date=2021-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060027/http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/c23934/202012/8b5601506cde4341b1d24ae2bfd195ee.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National People's Congress]] also carries the executive ability to remove a serving Prosecutor-General from power.<ref name=":8" /> The current serving Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate is [[Zhang Jun (politician)|Zhang Jun]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Zhang Jun elected procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/18/c_137047814.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318155528/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/18/c_137047814.htm |archive-date=March 18, 2018 |access-date=2021-05-12 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref> Zhang was elected to the position of Prosecutor-General in March 2018 at the first session of the [[13th National People's Congress]].<ref name=":10" />
=== Other members of the Procuratorate ===
In addition to the Prosecutor-General, the Supreme People's Procuratorate is also composed of multiple Deputy Prosecutors-General, members of the Procuratorial Committee and additional procurators.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":24">{{Cite web|title=laws|url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/12/content_1383688.htm|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.npc.gov.cn|archive-date=2021-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020032721/http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/12/content_1383688.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> All other members of the Procuratorate are appointed by the [[Standing Committee of the National People's Congress]]<ref name=":24" /> at the Prosecutor-General's recommendation.<ref name=":4" /> Likewise, members may be removed from the Procuratorate at the will of the People's Congress and the Prosecutor-General.<ref name=":24" /> The current Deputy Prosecutors-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate are [[Tong Jianming]],<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=China's top procuratorate restructures |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/04/c_137717823.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103204712/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/04/c_137717823.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |access-date=2021-05-14 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref> Sun Qian,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese procurators to improve skills in handling cybercrime cases |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-02/26/c_139769609.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226140844/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-02/26/c_139769609.htm |archive-date=2021-02-26 |access-date=2021-05-14 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref> Zhang Xueqiao,<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's procuratorates to beef up public interest litigation for wildlife protection |url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-02/29/content_75757975.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514012615/http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-02/29/content_75757975.htm |archive-date=2021-05-14 |access-date=2021-05-14 |website=[[China News Service]]}}</ref> Chen Guoqing<ref>{{Cite web |title=China Focus: Chinese prosecutors increase efficiency in addressing public complaints |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/14/c_139056771.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514012347/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/14/c_139056771.htm |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |access-date=2021-05-14 |website=[[Xinhua]]}}</ref> and Yang Chunlei.<ref>{{Cite web|title=China strengthens resolving administrative disputes – China.org.cn|url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2021-02/23/content_77242188.htm|access-date=2021-05-14|website=www.china.org.cn|archive-date=2021-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224033631/http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2021-02/23/content_77242188.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
== List of Prosecutors-General ==
'''Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Prosecutor's Office of the Central People's Government'''
* [[Luo Ronghuan]] ({{lang|zh|罗荣桓}}), October 1949 – October 1954<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wilson Center Digital Archive|url=https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/121557|access-date=2021-05-31|website=digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215321/https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/121557|url-status=live}}</ref>
'''Prosecutor-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China'''
*[[Zhang Dingcheng]] ({{lang|zh|张鼎丞}}), 25 September 1954 – 21 January 1976<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wilson Center Digital Archive|url=https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/240162|access-date=2021-05-31|website=digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215427/https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/240162|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Huang Huoqing]] ({{lang|zh|黄火青}}), 21 March 1978 – 23 March 1983<ref name=":12" />
* [[Yang Yichen (1914–1997)|Yang Yichen]] ({{lang|zh|杨易辰}}), 23 March 1983 – 31 March 1988<ref name=":25">{{Cite book |last=Manion |first=Melanie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zyMeydaAu1kC |title=Corruption by Design |date=2009-06-30 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-04051-9 |language=en |access-date=2021-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206215649/https://books.google.com/books?id=zyMeydaAu1kC |archive-date=2023-02-06 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Liu Fuzhi]] ({{lang|zh|刘复之}}), 2 April 1988 – 14 March 1993<ref name=":25" />
* [[Zhang Siqing]] ({{lang|zh|张思卿}}), 14 March 1993 – 15 March 1998<ref>{{Cite web|title=China Vitae : Biography of Zhang Siqing|url=https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Zhang_Siqing/full|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.chinavitae.com|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213907/https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Zhang_Siqing/full|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Han Zhubin]] ({{lang|zh|韩杼滨}}), 15 March 1998 – 19 September 2004<ref>{{Cite web|title=China Vitae : Biography of Han Zhubin|url=https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Han_Zhubin/full|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.chinavitae.com|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215125/https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Han_Zhubin/full|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Jia Chunwang]] ({{lang|zh|贾春旺}}), 19 September 2004 – 16 March 2008<ref>{{Cite web|title=China Vitae : Biography of Jia Chunwang|url=https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Jia_Chunwang%7C85|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.chinavitae.com|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215454/https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Jia_Chunwang%7C85|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Cao Jianming]] ({{lang|zh|曹建明}}), 16 March 2008 – 17 March 2018<ref>{{Cite web|title=China Vitae : Biography of Cao Jianming|url=https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Cao_Jianming/summary|access-date=2021-05-31|website=www.chinavitae.com|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215126/https://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Cao_Jianming/summary|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Zhang Jun (politician)|Zhang Jun]] ({{lang|zh|张军}}), 17 March 2018 – 11 March 2023<ref name=":10" />
* [[Ying Yong]] ({{lang|zh|应勇}}), since 11 March 2023
== See also ==
* [[Supreme People's Court]]
* [[Supreme Prosecutors Office]]
* [[Director of Public Prosecutions]]
== Further reading ==
* Thompson-Brusstar, Michael (2022). "[https://brill.com/view/journals/clsr/aop/article-10.1163-25427466-07010001/article-10.1163-25427466-07010001.xml Supreme Supervisors? Building the People's Procuracy, 1949–1961]". ''China Law and Society Review''.
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
{{Clear}}
{{PRC State Organs}}
{{Separation of powers}}
{{Politics of China navbox}}
{{China national security}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Government of China]]
[[Category:Prosecution services|China]]
[[Category:1954 establishments in China]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1954]]
[[Category:Law of the People's Republic of China]]