China eyes legal reforms at key CPC meeting

BEIJING - The fourth plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is set to open on Monday to discuss the rule of law, aiming to speed up the construction of governance by law from the top level and by improving the system to promote social justice of the country.

Experts note that this will be the first time for a CPC session to center on the rule of law, which will be the key to realizing the party's goal to promote the modernization of China's governing system and capabilities.

They believe the session will produce a great and profound domestic and international significance.

In an interview with Xinhua prior to the session, Dr. Mei Gechlik, director of China Guiding Cases Project at Stanford Law School, said that China's leaders have pledged to achieve a set of goals by 2020, including ensuring "independence and fairness in courts" and letting "the judicial system be more transparent." These two goals were emphasized in the Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms adopted in December 2013.

With these goals in mind, people naturally have high expectations for the leaders to bring about more rule-of-law developments so as to provide a strong foundation for judicial reform, said the scholar, adding that it's a good sign to see that the Chinese leaders regard "the rule of law" as "necessary for China to attain economic growth, clean government...social justice and sound environment."

Khalid Mahmood, president of the Islamabad Council of World Affairs told Xinhua on Friday that the upcoming session's main agenda on "bolstering the rule of law, with distinctly Chinese characteristics" is timely and the need of time for China.

The Chinese leadership's decision to bring the rule of law in the country and run the state by law is very wise and full of vision, he said.

He said the rule of law will ensure human rights for common people, will help police and judicial system to punish criminals and establish law and order in the country, he said.

The rule of law will boost China's good image in the world and increase the world's trust in China, as well as enhance China's fight against corruption, he added.

China is not bound to follow any other nation in the world for the rule of law, and it should consider its own culture, traditions, requirements and current requirements to set rules and laws, "with Chinese characteristics," he noted.

Anita Kiamba, a researcher on diplomacy and international studies at University of Nairobi, said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has made reforms a central theme since he took over the reins of power and the CPC has demonstrated courage of and devotion to fighting corruption.

China's international stature hinges on efficient domestic policies that enhance economic competitiveness, poverty eradication and equal opportunities, he said.

The rule of law drive will ultimately boost China's soft power in this globalized world. Chinese leaders should reinvent the government as a prerequisite to sustain economic growth, he said.

David Fouquet, director of the European Institute for Asian Studies, pointed out that China has been introducing and adopting legislation in recent years in such areas as competition, labor and employment law to bring these more in line with international standards.

"We are hopeful and optimistic that the Chinese leadership will achieve all the ambitious objectives of recent meetings and documents. They should go a long way toward making China, its economy, society and political system fairer for its population," he said.

In a written interview with Xinhua, former Egyptian Ambassador to China Mahmoud Allam said: "China, with the great economic development it has achieved and its influence on social relations and conditions, needs an advanced legal system to govern the commercial relations and to control some felonies related to economic and social development. It is a very positive step from China's Communist Party to follow up and attempt to develop such a legal system."

The session's focus on the development of China's legal system is a timely step to establish a modern state, he said.

The Chinese Communist Party has managed to a great extent to develop itself and its own performance to cope with and accomplish its tasks of developing the Chinese society, achieving its openness to the outside world, and attracting the world to deal with China, said the former ambassador.

The party is evaluating and assessing the situation in the country in a very scientific way,he added.

Gerishon Ikiara, an economist with University of Nairobi, said the implementation of the rule of law will improve the CPC's ability to govern effectively because it will ensure that no one is above the law regardless of their status of society.

China's international image will improve if it is seen as country ruled by law, he said, adding that the rule of law will give more impetus to the current government's drive to eliminate corruption at all levels of the government, and help the CPC to overcome resistance to reforms by those who prefer the status quo.