China To Abolish Arrest, Conviction Rate Targets In Latest Legal Reform Move

                China's ruling Communist Party will abolish targets for arrests, prosecutions and convictions, state media said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of legal reforms at a time of widening public discontent.

Taking action on what the party called "unreasonable items for assessment" is part of its efforts to "govern the country by law" - the focus of a key party meeting last year.

The Political and Legal Committee, a secretive body overseeing the legal and security services, said on Tuesday that its units and law enforcement authorities "must resolutely cancel targets for criminal detention, arrests, prosecutions, convictions, settlements and other unreasonable targets for assessment", state news agency Xinhua said on its microblog.

Convictions are nearly certain in Chinese courts, which are controlled by the party. China's Supreme Court said last year that China has a 99.9 percent conviction rate.