A Critical Appraisal of China’s ‘Four Comprehensives’ Grand Narrative

John Garrick,Yan Chang Bennett

doi:10.32890/uumjls.6.2015.4584

Abstract

In China today,President Xi Jinping’s new grand narrative is framed by the widely publicised ‘four comprehensives’ (四个全面; ‘sigequanmian’). This narrative aims to : 1.build a moderately prosperous society; 2. deepen reform; 3. govern the nation according to law, and 4. tighten Party discipline. It is essentially a political narrative that tells a moral tale that legitimizes and glorifies the virtues of the present. It also attempts to shrug off mistakes of the previous dynasty. Drawing on the legal disciplines of economic law, international comparative law and the a priori analytic method of legal narrative analysis, this paper provides a critical appraisal of the ‘four comprehensives’, paying special attention to how the four principal strands of the narrative shape the directions of China’s socialist rule of law reforms and governance. Key words: Chinese law reform; four comprehensives; 四个全面; sigequanmian;socialist rule of law;legal narrative analysis; economic-law nexus, South China Sea.

Highlights

Under General-Secretary Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) governing ideology seems to continue market reforms and ‘opening up’ [开放], including encouragement for Chinese enterprises to ‘go-out’ [走出去], whilst retaining power within the one-Party system
Political orthodoxy continues to essentially follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology with Chinese characteristics, echoing the earlier language of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. This orthodoxy, expressed as ‘the four comprehensives’ (四个全面; ‘sigequanmian’), aims to build a moderately prosperous society, deepen reform, govern the nation according to law, and to tighten Party discipline (People’s Daily 24 February 2015: front-page editorial).[1]
This paper critically examines the CPC’s grand ‘four comprehensives’ narrative, which is widely publicized within China

Summary

Introduction

Under General-Secretary Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) governing ideology seems to continue market reforms and ‘opening up’ [开放], including encouragement for Chinese enterprises to ‘go-out’ [走出去], whilst retaining power within the one-Party system. What are the effects of the grand narrative on reform directions for China’s socialist rule of law and governance, and 3.

Results

Conclusion