From April, high courts will no longer handle first hearings of civil and commercial trials, except for major cases approved by the Supreme People's Court (SPC), a top judge said this week.

Cao Jianming, vice-president of the SPC, made the announcement in Beijing at a national work conference on courts. He said the move will free the high courts from unnecessary caseloads that could be handled by lower courts.

The changes will come into effect at the same time as the modified Civil Procedure Law.

The SPC will designate first hearings to the high courts if the case is considered to be of major local significance, or is related to official policy, public welfare or considered to be "highly socially sensitive".

Caseloads for intermediate and other lower level courts are expected to increase, signifying a "test as well as a push for their judicial capacity", Cao said.

China's court system comprises four judicial tiers: The SPC; high courts at provincial, municipal and autonomous region levels; intermediate courts at city level; and grassroots courts at county and district levels.

There are also special courts within the military, railways and water transportation departments.

In recent years, the court system has undergone many changes in an effort to streamline the judicial process, including jurisdictional amendments, which mean hearings for administrative cases are no longer determined by where a legal action is filed.

Referring to criminal trials, Cao called on courts to "severely punish infiltrative, subversive and splittist activities to safeguard State security".

"Courts will continue to focus heavily on cases of serious violence, frequently occurring criminal activities such as theft and robbery, terrorism, gangster-related crimes, and crimes that disrupt the socialist market economic order," he said.

Cao also called for "better performance" from courts in dealing with civil trials, highlighting their role in creating a harmonious society.