On 24 December 2021, the 32nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted to amend the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China. The amended Civil Procedure Law came into effect on 1 January 2022.

The Civil Procedure Law is the basic rule governing civil procedure. On 28 December 2019, the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress made the Decision on Authorising the Supreme People's Court to Carry out Pilot Work on the Division of Complicated and Simple Civil Procedure in Some Areas (the Authorisation Decision), authorising courts in 20 cities in 15 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) to carry out a two-year pilot work. According to the Authorisation Decision, after the expiry of the pilot period, the relevant laws shall be amended and improved for those that have proved feasible in practice. This amendment provides more procedural options and judicial incremental services for the parties, stipulates the modes of hearing cases under the sole-appointed system of ordinary procedure and the sole-appointed system of second instance, and also improves the rules of online litigation. (source:Legal Daily)