Legislative Developments in China in 2014

Abstract

2014 is marked as Year One of the Comprehensively Deepening Reforms era, according to a decision of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in which the CPC vows to accelerate the establishment of government administration in accordance with the law. 1 As an important function and power and a major task of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee, legislation is playing an increasingly guiding and motivating role. Improving the quality of legislation is also regarded by the Standing Committee of the CPC as a key task. 2 More importantly, the rule of law was for the first time made the theme of the fourth plenary session of the eighteenth Central Committee of the CPC. The resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Certain Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Advancing the Law-Based Governance of China adopted by the plenary session highlighted the general target of China to form a system that serves the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and to build a country under the socialist rule of law. 3 This resolution was believed to be a milestone of epoch-making significance in the CPC’s history. 4 The resolution also pointed out that: the major tasks are to improve a social system of laws with Chinese characteristics, in which the Constitution is taken as the core, to strengthen the implementation of the Constitution, to prompt the administration of law, to speed up the building of a law-abiding government, to safeguard judicial justice, to improve judicial credibility, to prompt the public awareness of rule of law, to enhance the building of a law-based society, to improve team building and to sharpen the CPC’s leadership in pushing forward rule of law. 5