Staying Committed to Law-based Governance, Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese Modernization Under the Rule of Law

The rule of law is the cornerstone of sound and effective national governance. It plays an irreplaceable role in coordinating interests, defusing social tensions, regulating social behavior, maintaining social stability, promoting social fairness and justice, and ensuring the long-term peace and stability of the country. Reform is essentially a process of generating fresh vitality, adding growth drivers, and fostering synergy by discarding the outdated in favor of the new. When carrying out reform, we must rely on the rule of law to build consensus, overcome obstacles, consolidate achievements, and ensure orderly progress. 

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, our Party has advanced law-based governance within the framework of the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy. This has made it possible to advance reform under the rule of law and to apply the rule of law in carrying out reform. This integrated approach has seen law-based governance and reform advancing in step, with each reinforcing the other. By laying emphasis on the need to use law-based thinking and actions to tackle the challenges of reform, we have used the rule of law to guide, advance, regulate, and guarantee our reform endeavors. As a result, the impressive progress we have made in advancing the rule of law has served to drive the deepening of reform across the board. 

We must push ahead with reform under the rule of law and create a sound legal basis for all major reforms. We must ensure the coordination and alignment of reform decisions and legislative decisions. When studying potential reform plans and measures, we need to consider whether there is a legal basis for them. When new laws are necessary, we must act swiftly to present our legislative requests and proposals to advance the formulation of relevant laws. This is particularly true for key sectors, emerging fields, and foreign-related areas where legislation needs to be accelerated. In cases where conditions aren't quite ripe for full implementation and pilot programs are needed, authorization should be secured through the proper legal channels before proceeding. We must also act quickly to revise or repeal existing laws and regulations that are incompatible with reform. Outmoded legal provisions must not be allowed to become a roadblock for reform. 

We should focus on harnessing the force of the law to cement and expand our reform achievements. When experiences or practices prove to be effective, we should codify them into law in a timely manner to turn them into universally binding norms. We must also move ahead with reform concerning the rule of law itself. We should coordinate advancement across all links from legislation and law enforcement to the administration of justice and observance of the law and improve the mechanisms for ensuring all are equal before the law to uphold the ethos of socialist rule of law. Efforts should be made to elevate awareness of the rule of law among every member of society, with a particular focus on leading officials at every level. All aspects of reform must reflect our faith in the rule of law as well as the authority and effectiveness of the rule of law. 

Editor: Yi Xiaowei