A Supreme People's Court (SPC) official said that the threshold for laying charges of corruption and bribery should be raised to bring it more in line with today's conditions.

"The 5,000 yuan (threshold) in 1997 and 2009 is so different considering the social changes and economic development over the last 12 years, yet the law has not changed at all," Zhang Jun, vice-president of the SPC, said during a seminar at Renmin University of China.

According to current criminal law, those who embezzle or accept bribes of more than 5,000 yuan ($730) can be found guilty of corruption, a standard set in 1997.