Volunteers play a growing role in China's public-interest litigation

Detailed summary

From uncovering environmental damage to holding authorities accountable for incomplete repairs, volunteers are taking on a greater role in China's public-interest litigation…

From uncovering environmental damage to holding authorities accountable for incomplete repairs, volunteers are taking on a greater role in China's public-interest litigation system, as six cases released by the country's top procuratorate on Friday demonstrate how public involvement can strengthen legal oversight.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said the cases, covering environmental protection, food and drug safety, and accessibility, illustrate how volunteers can help prosecutors identify violations, provide technical expertise and monitor corrective action.

The release comes a week after China's top legislature adopted a new public-interest litigation law on Nov 6. Set to take effect on Jan 1, the law explicitly encourages organizations and individuals to help protect public interests and oversee litigation proceedings.

All six cases involved administrative public-interest litigation aimed at ensuring government agencies fulfill their legal responsibilities. Three were resolved through pre-litigation recommendations, while the remaining proceeded to court after authorities failed to address the problems adequately.

One case began in July 2024, when volunteer Cheng Zhihui alerted prosecutors in Yi'an county, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, to severe erosion threatening the region's fertile black-soil farmland.

Investigators found that expanding gullies had destroyed more than 20,000 square meters of cropland and washed away over 60,000 cubic meters of soil, undermining local agricultural production.

Cheng joined two other volunteers with agricultural and water-management expertise to assess the damage. When the local water affairs authority failed to complete the promised restoration, the volunteers conducted six follow-up inspections, uncovering further erosion and a newly formed gully.

Their findings helped prosecutors bring an administrative lawsuit in May 2026, prompting the authority to invest 1.35 million yuan ($202,400) in restoration work, including…

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