Unswervingly promote the overall rule of law under the leadership of the Party.

　　Police officers from Bailiang Court of Wanzai County People’s Court in Jiangxi Province brought a rule of law course on "protecting the healthy growth of teenagers" to Bailiang Middle School in this county. Deng Longhua photo/bright picture

　　[Expert perspective]

　　In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it is proposed to "unswervingly follow the rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics", "build a rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, build a socialist country ruled by law, develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s rule of law theory" and "build a socialist culture ruled by law". This outlines four key words for the construction of China ruled by law — — Rule of law road, rule of law theory, rule of law system, rule of law culture. The road of rule of law that we should adhere to is essentially the concrete embodiment of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road in the field of rule of law; The theory of rule of law that we want to develop is essentially the theoretical achievement of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system on the issue of rule of law; The rule of law system we want to build is essentially the legal expression of Socialism with Chinese characteristics system; The culture of rule of law that we want to build is essentially the concrete development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture in the category of rule of law.

　　The road of rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics embodies the achievements and experience of socialist rule of law construction, and is the only correct way to build a China ruled by law. To promote the rule of law in an all-round way, we must release a correct and clear signal to the whole society and unify the understanding and actions of the whole party and the people of all ethnic groups. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee decided that there is a red line that runs through the whole article, that is, we will unswervingly follow the rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics. The most important achievement of China’s rule of law construction is to open up the road of rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Adhere to the rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, the most fundamental thing is to adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Ruling the country according to law was put forward by our party, which promoted the rule of law to the basic strategy of leading the people to govern the country, and has been leading the people to promote the rule of law in practice. To adhere to the road of rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, we should establish self-confidence and maintain our determination.

　　Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory of rule of law is a theoretical system of socialist rule of law with China characteristics, China style and China style, which was gradually formed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the basis of the basic principles of Marxist state and law, drawing on and absorbing the beneficial achievements of human civilization of rule of law at all times and at home and abroad, and proceeding from the reality of contemporary China’s reform, opening up and socialist modernization. Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory of rule of law is the inheritance, innovation and significant development of Marxist legal view, the latest achievement in promoting the China of Marxist legal thought, and the important theoretical guidance, ideological basis and academic support for comprehensively promoting the rule of law, accelerating the construction of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s rule of law system and promoting the construction of rule of law China.

　　The rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics is an important part and backbone project of the national governance system. Building the rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, forming a complete system of legal norms, an efficient implementation system of the rule of law, a strict supervision system of the rule of law, and a strong guarantee system of the rule of law, and forming a perfect system of inner-party laws and regulations are the important contents of comprehensively promoting the overall goal of governing the country according to law. Promoting the rule of law in an all-round way involves many aspects. In practical work, there must be a general grasp to take the overall situation and draw all parties. This general grasp is to build the rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics. All the work of governing the country according to law should be planned and promoted around this general grasp. The construction of the rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics is conducive to the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity on the rule of law track, to the comprehensive promotion of the work of governing the country according to law within the overall framework of comprehensive deepening reform, and to the continuous deepening of reform on the rule of law track.

　　Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s culture of rule of law is an advanced cultural phenomenon of rule of law and a progressive state of rule of law, which is composed of spiritual civilization achievements such as the value, spirit, consciousness and idea of rule of law that reflect the inherent requirements of advanced socialist culture, institutional civilization achievements such as the legal system, legal norms and mechanism that reflect the essential characteristics of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s democratic politics, and behaviors such as consciously doing things according to law and respecting the usage of law. The essence of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s culture of rule of law is the civilized state of rule of law with the socialist concept of rule of law as the guide, the socialist legal system as the main task, the law-abiding and conscious compliance as the basis, and the goal of building a socialist order of rule of law.

　　To govern the country according to law in an all-round way, we should unswervingly follow the road of rule of law in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, with upholding the leadership of the Party, adhering to the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and implementing Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory of rule of law as the core, develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory of rule of law, and build Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s rule of law system with legal norms system, rule of law implementation system, rule of law supervision system, rule of law guarantee system and inner-party regulations system as the basic framework. Carry forward Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s rule of law culture with socialist core values as its soul, which contains the spirit and value of the rule of law, and adhere to and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s rule of law road, theory, system and culture.

　　As Socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, we are more confident than ever in Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road, theory, system and culture. We are more determined, confident and capable than ever to unswervingly push forward the rule of law in an all-round way under the leadership of the Party.

　　(Author: Li Lin, director of the Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)