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GUANGZHOU, March 13-- As a hearing on a securities fraud case was about to open in the intermediate people's court of Guangzhou in south China, the plaintiff's attorney, Ye Fapan, was accompanying his pregnant wife in their hometown in Anhui Province, over 1,000 km away. However, the lawyer did not miss the hearing. He opened a mini-program embedded in messaging app WeChat, named "Guangzhou Micro Court," on his mobile phone and completed an identification process. Seconds later, his face appeared on the LED screen in the courtroom. This was the first time the court allowed an attorney to join a proceeding via mobile internet. Some 753 million Chinese have access to mobile internet services, which transform their lives in almost every aspect, including public services and legal practices. The court is working to make its services smarter, aimed at enhancing transparency, fairness, and efficiency, according to Zhang Chunhe, vice president of the court. "China will speed up the construction of smart courts," Chief Justice Zhou Qiang said while delivering a work report of the Supreme People's Court at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress on Friday. Courts will better use artificial intelligence, voice recognition, big data, and other digital technology to improve trials and social governance, Zhou said. The "Guangzhou Micro Court" mini-program, which was launched in November, integrates the functions of apps rolled out in 2016 for lawyers, the public, and law enforcers. The mini-program has logged more than 300,000 clicks. | 
