The number of criminal cases in China in 2024 hit the lowest level this century, marking a 25.7 percent decrease year-on-year, according to an annual report.

It highlights the efforts made by Chinese police in cracking down on crimes and safeguarding public safety, and also records the country's development in legislation and justice last year.

The full text of the Annual Report on the Rule of Law in China (2024), which is organized in 16 sections with about 60,000 Chinese characters, was released by the China Law Society on Tuesday. The publication of this report in both Chinese and English marks the 17th consecutive year it has been made available to a global audience.

It emphasizes the importance of guaranteeing people's livelihood, especially supporting the development of new forms of employment by rule of law, while praising the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, for promulgating notable cases on labor disputes involving emerging businesses to make a judicial commitment to advancing the growth of a new economy.

Last year, China also implemented its first comprehensive, specialized legislation on the online protection of minors — the Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace — aimed at fostering an online environment conducive to the physical and mental well-being of minors and protecting their lawful rights and interests, the report showed.

It reaffirmed the need for the coordinated advancement of domestic and international rule of law, stressing the significance of building a robust foreign-related legal system to translate the country's legal prowess into a competitive institutional advantage in the opening-up.