Chinese courts to grant foreigners more access

China will now regularly allow foreigners to regularly sit in on Chinese court cases, Reuters reported, citing state media. The announcement on Thursday by Supreme People’s Court President Zhou Qiang comes at a time of public discontent over China’s secretive judicial system, and could have implications for foreigners and foreign businesses, which have recently become embroiled in a growing number of lawsuits in China. Chinese courts typically refuse to release rulings, court dates and other details of lawsuits, and foreign reporters are usually blocked from attending human rights trials. Zhou said the Supreme People’s Court “feels it is important to communicate with foreign countries on judicial affairs.”