China’s judicial system has witnessed a significant shift in case dynamics over the first nine months of 2025, with a notable decline in criminal cases but a sharp rise in labor and business disputes. According to data released by the Supreme People’s Court, first-instance criminal cases dropped by 11.61% year-on-year to 804,000, reflecting the judiciary’s focus on maintaining social stability and safeguarding national security. Concurrently, labor-related disputes surged by 37.5% to 648,000 cases, while business-related cases jumped by 70.21% to 147,000. The data also highlighted a rise in securities-related cases (63.22%) and intellectual property lawsuits (33.78%), underscoring the growing complexity of civil litigation in China. To address these trends, courts have intensified efforts against fraud, resolved 71,000 such cases, and issued judicial interpretations. Additionally, Chinese courts handled 35,000 civil and commercial disputes involving foreign parties, marking a 60% increase, as part of efforts to support high-level opening-up and promote international commercial court development.