Rule of law is key to reform

A modern system of governance is essential to the country and its chief requirement is that authority must have clear boundaries

The Fourth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held last week in Beijing, put forward some new ideas and measures for ruling the country by law.

The plenum, responding to the urgent need for order in promoting social and economic development, clarified the road map to the rule of law, a big change from the previous rule by man and by power.

Achieving the rule of law in China is an essential mission for leaders. It is the foundation of good governance. Deepening reforms in a comprehensive way can remove barriers and accelerate the modernization of the State governance system.

Promoting the rule of law represents a profound reform in its own right. It touches virtually every area of State governance and, if well practiced, will help China maintain continuous growth and social stability.

The rule of law lies at the core of modernization and the ability of any nation to govern efficiently in today's world. All of the subjects, institutions, models and procedures of governance should, in the first place, be brought in line with law.

The top-level design for the rule of law in China proposed by the Fourth Plenum is clear and achievable. Public awareness has been awakened, which creates a supportive atmosphere for the implementation of the detailed measures to come.

Modernization of state governance will predictably speed up in many fields right away.

A noteworthy characteristic of the plenum's statement on the rule of law is the principle that not only the actions of individual people but of government bodies should be subject to the rule of law. It is impossible to have a rule-by-law society before the government begins to guide itself in an orderly, predictable way. All of the government's interactions with society, and with the market, must be circumscribed by a respect for the law.

Government reforms featuring the cutting of red tape make a good starting point for further breakthroughs that will improve relations between the government and society, and between the government and the marketplace.

One significant outcome under a law-ruled government will be that power is put in a cage, as President Xi Jinping described it. That includes effective institutional supervision and a framework of outlining what the government is, and is not, empowered to do.