Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), highlighted progress made in the top procuratorate's work last year while delivering a report to the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Tuesday. 

The top procuratorate has "based its work on people's increasing demands for democracy, rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment in a new era," Zhang said.

In a major shake-up, the SPP has established 10 new departments to replace the previous set-ups and implemented a new mechanism to allow the same department to handle both the arrest and prosecution processes of criminal cases.

Among the new set-ups, the eighth department that responsible for handling public interest cases has aroused wide-spread attention.

China's top legislature passed the revised civil and administrative procedure laws in June 2017 to allow prosecutors nationwide to institute public interest litigation. The reform aims to better protect the interests of the nation and the public, especially in the protection of the environment and resources, and food safety.

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As shown in the graphic below, more than half of the public interest litigation cases handled are related to ecology and environment protection.

(With input from Xinhua)

Graphics: Fan Chenxiao, Li Wenyi, Yin Yating