Focus on rule of law modernizes governance

CPC Central Committee expected to continue systematic reform

At 7 am, Shanghai-based lawyer Zhang Jie opened his computer at home, logged on to the Judicial Opinions of China website, and read a court ruling on a case in which he had offered legal aid. The process took no more than one minute.

"It not only shows the convenience and higher efficiency of the Internet era, but also revealed a more-open and transparent initiative to realize the rule of law," Zhang said, recalling the past when he had to drive miles and sometimes spent days just to read a legal document.

Since Jan 1, courts across China have had to publish judgments online within seven days, as required by the Supreme People's Court, in a move to improve China's judicial transparency.

"Transparency is the foundation to realizing judicial justice," Zhang said.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee is due to open on Monday to discuss the rule of law.

The session is expected to speed up the construction of governance by law from the top level and, by improving the system, to promote social justice for the country.

It will be the first time a Party session has focused on the rule of law in a bid to promote the modernization of the country's governing system and capabilities. Experts believe the rule of law is the key to its realization.

The concept of the modernization of the country's governing system and capabilities was first put forward in a report released after the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee last November.

Qin Lingmei, a renowned female judge who has long been engaged in lawsuit mediation, said that as people's material life has been improving greatly in recent years, disputes on heritage, marriage, land use and other issues are also increasing.

The rising number of lawsuits has revealed people's increasing awareness of the law and also challenged the country's governance capacity.

To improve the capacity, China has constantly been making experimental efforts.

The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, for example, is not only an experiment for the economy but also for legislation, said Zhou Hanmin, a national political adviser and law expert based in Shanghai.

Last month, the FTZ's administrative commission published a "negative list" of 190 restrictions that limit foreign investment in such sectors as banking, insurance and the hospitality industry.

The list is actually a signal for the CPC to deepen systematic reform, regulating the boundaries for government power and market operation.

Sometimes, the progress of legislation is pushed by tragedy.

In 2003, a regulation for saving beggars in cities was implemented after the death of Sun Zhigang, a 27-year-old college graduate who was beaten to death simply because he did not have his ID card with him.

Zhou said that given the obstacles ahead, the fifth modernization is more difficult to realize than the other four, and China has to keep exploring with a more decisive mind and courage.

"The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be a new starting point on the road," he said.