Advancing rule of law and reform in China: A strategic path to Chinese-style modernization

Editor’s note: As the annual Two Sessions commences, CGTN’s Visionary Voices launches the “Global Think Tanks Unpack China Agenda 2025” series. Authored by experts from think tanks worldwide, these articles offer cutting-edge analysis of China’s advancements in fields spanning economy, technology, rural revitalization and cultural innovation. Each piece demystifies China’s growth trajectory while illuminating its global significance. The first article explores how comprehensive rule of law can lay a solid foundation for China’s economic and social development. Liu Hong, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization(CCVG).

In 2024, the phrase “rule of law” was selected as one of the top ten buzzwords in a national Two Sessions survey conducted by People’s Daily, reflecting the public’s deep concerns about the rule of law. This year, as the Two Sessions approach, “rule of law” is expected to remain a focal point of public attention.

After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, the Communist Party of China (CPC) gradually established the fundamental governance principle of ruling the country according to law. The 15th Party Congress officially outlined the basic strategy of ruling the country according to law, and the 1999 amendment to the Constitution enshrined this strategy as an important constitutional principle. The 19th Party Congress outlined an ambitious blueprint for 2035, envisioning the establishment of a rule-of-law-based country, government, and society. As of June 2024, there are 303 valid laws, 598 administrative regulations, and over 14,000 local regulations in effect in China, forming a relatively complete legal framework.

In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is crucial to properly manage the relationship between the rule of law and reform, as it directly influences the successful realization of Chinese-style modernization. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has profoundly pointed out that “reform and rule of law are like the two wings of a bird or the two wheels of a cart.” We must promote reform under the rule of law, and perfect the rule of law through reform.

Among the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout, one is the comprehensive implementation of the rule of law and the other is the comprehensive implementation of reform. The decision adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC on further deepening reform and advancing Chinese-style modernization emphasized the “Six Adherences” for advancing reform, one of which is “adherence to the comprehensive rule of law.”

Throughout Chinese history, reform has often taken the form of “legal transformations” aimed at actively altering existing systems to improve the national governance framework. Since law is the institutional vehicle and safeguard for implementing reform, many of its achievements must ultimately be codified through legal means. While reform acts as a catalyst for innovation and development, it often improves existing laws, systems, and policies. Therefore, achieving a dynamic balance between reform and rule of law is crucial – promoting economic and social development through reform while ensuring legal stability.

China’s future reforms are inseparable from the rule of law. Whether in the establishment of a high-level socialist market economy, improving mechanisms to drive high-quality economic development, constructing systems that support comprehensive innovation, enhancing macroeconomic governance, improving urban-rural integration, advancing high-level opening-up, or strengthening the protection and improvement of people’s livelihoods, ecological civilization, national security, defense, and modernization, as well as deepening cultural reforms and ensuring national safety and military modernization – each of these reforms deeply involves the reform and improvement of related legal systems, and urgently requires confirmation, regulation, and protection by the rule of law system.

Throughout the reform process, it is essential to uphold the leading role of legislation, enacting the necessary laws and regulations in a timely manner to comprehensively deepen reforms. We must adhere to the Party’s leadership in legislation, ensuring that the Party’s ideas become the national will through legal procedures, guaranteeing the implementation of the Party’s policies. Legislation should address barriers to comprehensive reform, promptly amending or abolishing outdated laws and regulations that do not meet reform requirements. Reform results should be institutionalized through legal systems, preventing backtracking or distortion, ensuring the smooth advancement of further reforms.

In conclusion, the successful implementation of China’s reforms hinges on a robust legal framework that aligns with the nation’s modernization goals. By ensuring the integration of rule of law with reform initiatives, China can foster stable development while addressing the evolving needs of society. Together, the continuous evolution of laws and the deepening of reforms will be crucial in shaping a prosperous and harmonious future for China.

From CGTN, 2025-3-1