BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — A senior Chinese official Friday urged departments concerned to actively carry forward the judicial reform to improve social justice, harmony and stability.

    Zhou Yongkang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, told a conference that efforts should be made to push forward the judicial reforms to build a just, efficient and authoritative socialist judicial system and improve social harmony and stability.

    With China’s social and economic development and rapid progress of democracy and the rule of law, Chinese people have higher claims for social equity and justice, he said.

    China’s judicial system and work should adapt to the new situation, new tasks and people’s expectations, said Zhou, who deputy secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the CPC Central Committee.

    He said the central authorities had listed 60 tasks for judicial reforms in 2009 and 17 of them have had enforcement plans, including those on the reform of jury system and judicial examinations.

    Zhou said 2010 was crucial in deepening the judicial reform and the focus should be put on solving social conflicts, social management innovation and promoting just and clean law enforcement.

    He urged departments concerned to improve sense of responsibility and urgency to actively carry forward the reform to boost judicial justice and benefit the public.