The Ministry of Justice ("MOJ") has recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Development of Public Legal Service Platforms (the "Opinions").
The Opinions state that, public legal service platforms will be popularized by the end of 2018, be integrated by the end of 2019, and provide targeted services by the end of 2020. Physical platforms, hotlines and online platforms, for public legal services, will be fully integrated and connect with the national government affair service platform, forming a convenient and efficient public legal service network that covers both urban and rural areas and have complete functions and through the in-depth application of big data about public legal services to provide the general public with access to targeted, inclusive and convenient public legal services. To this end, the Opinions clearly state that efforts will be made to make faster progress in developing physical platforms, enable hotlines to be planned at the provincial level, and promote the interconnectivity of online platforms. Meanwhile, services offered through the aforesaid three major platforms will be improved for the convenience and benefit of the people. Furthermore, the Opinions outline requirements from the perspective of promoting the integration of services, supervision and guarantees, in an effort to pursue the integrated development of such three major platforms.