China to introduce variation on trial by jury

State media reported that China will next year introduce trial by jury, based on a system in which jurors are "elected to serve a five-year term". According to China Daily, juror candidates, who must have at least two years' tertiary education, will be chosen through elections held in January and February, then trained in March and April. Once selected, jurors "will have power equal to that of judge", the report said. How elections are to be carried out was not made clear. One correspondent, writing in the newspaper, saluted the introduction of jury trials, but wondered if jury selection might be manipulated.