China's judiciary is moving to standardize the collation, presentation and appraisal of evidence in all court cases, ending anomalies between different laws and judgments.

Vice-president Shen Deyong of the Supreme People's Court on Tuesday outlined the proposed new code at the ongoing two-day Canada-China Seminar on Litigation Evidence Issues, jointly held by the Supreme People's Court of China and the Supreme Court of Canada.

He said it would be the first independent evidence code in China.

The Criminal Procedure Law, Civil Procedure Law, Administrative Procedural Law, Administrative Penalty Law, Law on Penalties Against Public Offences, Taxes Collection Management Law and several judicial interpretations made by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate all had provisions on the collation, presentation and appraisal of evidence.

"But the provisions in different laws on evidence are overlapping or uncoordinated and leave loopholes, causing problems, such as the permissibility of written testimony, and there are no specific regulations on how to use and appraisal electronic evidence," said Shen.

Shen said when the code will be put into legislation plan will be decided by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2006)