Defendants and detained suspects will be able to meet with lawyers online in Beijing beginning Jan. 1, in what the government says will improve legal rights and increase efficiency, China Youth Daily reported.

Communication facilities have been set up in three districts in Beijing, and qualified lawyers can go to designated public security offices to remotely meet with their arrested clients for up to two hours.

Participants must submit a valid appointment request two working days before an expected meeting. First-time meetings between a client and a lawyer must take place in person, the report said.

To ensure privacy, the public security departments said they will turn off all recording and monitoring devices, and no other personnel will be present during meetings — though Caixin had no way to confirm the veracity of those claims.

Initially, Mandarin Chinese will be the only available language for the remote consulting.

Pilot projects were tested earlier for feasibility. During a trial consultation on Dec. 12, a lawyer from top Beijing law firm Dentons provided legal assistance to a client whose mother initiated the remote talk.

Beijing aims to deploy the project across the city, but gave no specific timeline. The city is also testing WeChat appointment-making functions for the project.

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