China courts step up enforcement, punish thousands for defying rulings

Chinese courts held 4,461 people criminally accountable in 2025 for refusing to comply with court verdicts, underscoring a sustained crackdown on dishonest conduct, China's top court said on Monday.

While stepping up efforts to curb evasion and obstruction by those subject to enforcement, the Supreme People's Court stressed that fully seizing debtors' primary assets remains essential to ensuring court rulings are carried out.

As asset forms become more diverse and some judgment debtors attempt to evade enforcement through virtual or cross-border assets, courts nationwide are working with more than 10 government agencies to better track people subject to court judgments and their property. The agencies include the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the People's Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the National Intellectual Property Administration and the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

In 2025, courts across the country also established a unified online platform to upgrade the network-based investigation and control system. The platform is designed to strengthen the timely detection of hidden or transferred assets and support the lawful prosecution of crimes involving evasion of enforcement, the top court said.

The court added that it has further clarified circumstances that constitute the crime of refusing to comply with court rulings through judicial interpretations, legal documents and exemplary cases. It pledged to continue cracking down on such offenses to effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the public.