On April 11, Sichuan Provincial Conference on Advancing the Construction of One-Stop Platform for Diversified Dispute Resolution was held in Luzhou. In recent years, Sichuan Province has continuously enhanced its mechanisms for resolving diverse disputes, strengthened legal safeguards, and reinforced grassroots foundations, pioneering a path for dispute resolution with Sichuan characteristics, contemporary features, and grassroots attributes.
Data indicate that the province has maintained a dispute resolution rate above 97 percent for six consecutive years. The litigation rate per ten thousand people has consistently remained low on a national scale. Furthermore, the province has consistently ranked in the top tier for the sense of security among its people for five consecutive years.
Focus on intensive efforts to build a diversified dispute resolution "supermarket"
On April 11, at the one-stop dispute resolution center in Huagai Town, Anzhou District, Mianyang City, a staff member was introducing the business handling process to those who had come to conduct their affairs. This center integrates resources and strengths from judicial administration, police substations, and other sectors, features eleven business windows and functional rooms, including mediation rooms and the "Peaceful Village Without Litigation" studio, and implements a "one-stop acceptance" system for various disputes, aiming to ensure that the public only needs to visit one place for all their needs.
Mianyang's approach is not an isolated case. Across Sichuan, forces from departments such as political and legal affairs, judiciary, public complaints handling, and social services are actively integrated, forming collaborative efforts to enhance efficiency in resolving disputes. "The one-stop platform is designed to establish a 'flagship store' to connect the dispute resolution resources across various departments, similar to how 'franchise stores' work, thereby creating a diversified dispute resolution 'supermarket,'" explained a relevant leading official from the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee.
The reporter observed that, in terms of advancing the construction of the one-stop platform, the province specifically emphasizes intensification. This involves focusing on intensive efforts, adhering to principles of resource sharing, functional integration, inter-departmental collaboration, and centralized approaches, aiming to drive the process of "one-stop acceptance, comprehensive mediation, and full-chain resolution" for disputes. At the county and township levels, efforts are being made to leverage comprehensive governance centers for an integrated "one center with multiple functions" approach. In villages and communities, these centers can be integrated and utilized in conjunction with Party and mass service centers.
"We have established a district-level one-stop diversified dispute resolution center by integrating five centers, including the public complaints reception and legal service centers. This one-stop center provides 17 resident department service windows, achieving the intensification and efficient utilization of resources," explained a relevant leading official from the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Pidu District Committee, Chengdu Municipality.
Efforts to enhance the standardized development of the one-stop platform also require the establishment of uniform work processes, service standards, and management protocols, to ensure the professionalism and effectiveness of the dispute resolution services provided. For example, Panzhihua City has established local standards that delineate the specifics for multi-level diversified dispute resolution centers and people's mediation centers (referred to as "dual centers"), including venue construction, functional areas, and the roles and responsibilities, aiming to ensure that operations are standardized and normalized. In the Qili Subdistrict of Langzhong, Nanchong City, a closed-loop mechanism has been established, consisting of "frontline investigation, center-based resolution, and frontline follow-up," to ensure the swift detection, timely resolution, and effective feedback on disputes.
Strengthen early warning to improve the quality and efficiency of diversified dispute resolution initiatives
The concern lies not in the mere existence of disputes but rather in the deficiency of awareness and information about them. In response, the province has clearly required that one-stop dispute resolution platforms across various regions establish consultation and assessment mechanisms, prioritize early risk warning, and enhance proactive analysis, aiming to promptly identify and manage minor issues to forestall potential risks.
Exploratory initiatives have been launched across various regions in the province. In the Taifu Town of Luxian County, Luzhou City, efforts are focused on harnessing the strengths of community grid-based management teams, guiding local police officers, liaison officials in villages, volunteers, and other groups to engage directly with the public in the fields to heed their concerns and solicit opinions, thus strengthening the community's capacity for early identification and effective resolution. "We have also implemented a community grid management system, with all team members in the town conducting daily dual patrols to maintain real-time awareness of the situation within the grids." A leading official from Mali Town, Dechang County, Liangshan Prefecture, echoed Taifu Town's approach.
To improve the effectiveness of dispute resolution, Taifu Town has introduced an online dispute resolution platform, enabling parties to seek online mediation through this digital interface. "The online dispute resolution platform not only records basic information about each dispute within the associated jurisdiction but also details the steps, nodes, handlers, and the process of each mediation from the moment the dispute is accepted," said a staff member.
The consensus on leveraging technology to empower dispute resolution is growing. In Jiang'an County, Yibin City, the "Jiang'an Online Mediation" app has been introduced, enabling parties to request mediation conveniently through the app whenever needed. Huagai Town in Anzhou District, Mianyang City, utilizes the "Huacheng Butler" WeChat official account to operate the "Huacheng Dispute Resolution Code." This system ensures unique coding for each case, end-to-end management through a single code, and complete traceability throughout the dispute resolution process.
How do we sustain this momentum? The province has stressed the need to focus on coordination, establishing efficient collaborative mechanisms, strengthening the integration of dispute resolution methods, and building a diverse and coordinate working system. Simultaneously, it is necessary to focus on connectivity, expediting the development of information systems and leveraging technology to facilitate dispute resolution.
