Overseas experts laud establishment of Constitution Day in China

BEIJING - China's first Constitution Day, which falls on Thursday, will boost the Chinese people's awareness of the supreme law and further the country's drive to establish the rule of law, overseas experts and scholars say.

The day was set by the country's top legislature on Nov. 1 of this year. Prior to that, the initiative was put forward at a key meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October on comprehensively advancing the rule of law.

Wei Cui, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at Canada's University of British Columbia, said the establishment of the Constitution Day is of great historic significance for China's modernization.

It is not only a symbol of governance by the Constitution, but also an affirmation of China's policy of reform and opening up, he added.

Garth M. Evans, director of the British Columbia Bar Association, said the Constitution Day will promote awareness of the supreme law among the Chinese people and help them learn more about the Constitution and their rights.

Today's China respects the Constitution and has got on the track of the rule of law, which is a strong guarantee for the country's economic development, he noted.

Denise Kodhe, executive director of the Institute for Democracy and Leadership in Africa, a Kenyan think-tank, said China, which is in transition, needs to make more efforts in institutional construction.

The establishment of the Constitution Day, he said, has sent a clear signal to the whole world that the Chinese government attaches importance to the rule of law.

Bambang Suryono, president of the Indonesian academic research organization of Nanyang ASEAN Foundation, said this move embodies the new Chinese government's determination to embrace the rule of law.

It will help China ensure the authority of the Constitution, promote the spirit of the rule of law, and create an atmosphere to abide by the law among Chinese people, he said.

Peter Li, an associate professor of East Asian politics at Houston University, said the day can promote Chinese people's awareness and recognition of the Constitution and all other laws.

It has sent such strong messages about the Constitution's supremacy, equality of all people under law, governance regulated by law, and protection of citizens' rights with law, he added.

Abelalhadi Tazi, a famed professor of constitutional law and historian in Morocco, saw the establishment of the Constitution Day as an admirable move taken by China, which shows the country's determination to build a society with the rule of law.

As one of the origins of world civilization, China had far-reaching influence on other countries in human history, he said, adding that China now sets an example with not only its great achievements in economic development, but also the importance it has attached to building the rule of law.

Echoing Tazi's view, Mohamed El Ghali, a professor of political science at Cadi Ayyad University in Morocco, said the establishment of the day is an obvious sign of China's enormous social progress.

The move is conducive to China's democratic practice and shows China's respect for the rule of law, he said.

Ek Sam Ol, president of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia, said the Constitution Day has clearly showed China's efforts in promoting awareness of the supreme law among the Chinese people so as to enhance the rule of law in the country.

"The celebrations will raise the awareness among the public to understand and respect the Constitution so as to uphold the rights of people and advance the rule of law in China," he said.

"We support the celebrations since the Constitution is the supreme and core law in preparing, governing and developing China, " he added.

Pou Sothirak, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said the Constitution Day marks the country's firm commitment to upholding the rule of law with the Constitution at the center of a progressive and thriving China.

"This should be viewed as a commitment by China to become a responsible nation for itself and for the international community, " he said.

"The day will be a new milestone in the Chinese history that will send a strong message to the outside world that the modern China is sincere and ready to embrace the principle of democracy and the rule of law," Sothirak said.