Rule
of law progresses steadily in China
(11/12/2002)
A senior judge said the idea of the rule of law has taken root
in Chinese society.
During a panel discussion held as part of the ongoing 16th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Vice-President of
the Supreme People's Court Cao Jianming noted that China's legislative
efforts in the past 13 years, in particular the past five years,
have provided laws to guide people's conduct in the political, economic
and social fields.
According to a report from the China News Service, Cao also noted
that government officials have enhanced their legal awareness, and
practices such as public hearings have increased the transparency
of government departments.
Cao said that judicial reform, with the goals of fairness and justice,
has been forging ahead. He added that judicial departments are playing
an increasingly important role in China and have become a focus
of the public.
In his keynote speech last Friday at the opening session of the
Party's national congress, General Secretary Jiang Zemin included
the development of socialist democracy and the legal system and
the strategy of the rule of law as goals on the way to building
a well-off society.
China's legal system, seriously undermined during the "cultural
revolution" (1966-76), was restored in the late 1970s, and
its development has been accelerated in recent years.
The strategy of "the rule of law" was written into the
Constitution in its latest amendment in 1999. The move was hailed
by the Minister of Justice Zhang Fusen as "an important milestone
in China's history of the legal system."
Over the past 13 years, the National People's Congress and its
standing committee have formulated more than 100 laws. The laws
in effect in China now amount to more than 200, and there are also
more than 600 administrative rules.
"The legislative goal of setting up a socialist legal system
with Chinese characteristics by 2010 has been gradually turning
into reality," said Zhang at the panel discussion during the
CPC national congress.
Zhang also noted that, with its criminal, civil and administrative
litigation systems, China is improving its judicial system and steadily
pushing ahead with its reform.
The legal profession, which includes lawyers and judges, now enjoys
high prestige in China and law schools are gaining popularity among
young students.
China now boasts 120,000 lawyers and more than 10,000 law firms.
Despite the improvements made over the years, China's lawyers are
still busy honing their skills to face new challenges since the
nation became a member of the World Trade Organization and pledged
to further open up its legal services market.
Meanwhile, efforts have been made to empower the general public
with knowledge about the law.
China has so far carried out three five-year campaigns for the
popularization of legal knowledge. Statistics from the Ministry
of Justice indicate that more than 800 million people have benefited
from the campaigns.
(China Daily)
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