The rule of law is a key term in the development blueprint drawn up by the Chinese leadership for the country's march toward modernization.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has always been a steadfast advocate for the rule of law.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xi has put forward a series of new ideas, new thinking and new strategies to advance law-based governance in all respects.

In 2020, a central conference on work related to overall law-based governance was held in Beijing. The most important outcome of this conference was the clear proposal of Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law.

Under the guidance of the thought, the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics is enjoying vibrant development, laying a solid foundation in the pursuit of national rejuvenation.

Building China under rule of law

Since 2012, China has accelerated the advancement of high-quality legislative work.

The Civil Code – China's first legislation with the title "code" for the People's Republic of China – was adopted at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), a landmark achievement in China's law-making history.

Meanwhile, a series of basic, comprehensive and overarching laws in important areas such as national security, health, and public culture have been successively formulated and introduced.

Laws in key fields such as ecological environment, education and technology have undergone systematic and comprehensive revisions, and breakthroughs have been made in legislation in emerging areas such as cyber information and biosafety.

China's active promotion of the rule of law, and its building of a scientific legal system that conforms to China's national conditions has provided solid legal guarantees for the country's economic and social development.

Under law-based governance, China has consistently ranked among countries with the lowest homicide rates globally. The index for Chinese people's sense of security stood at 98.2 percent in 2023, compared with 87.55 percent in 2012.

The rule of law has also helped safeguard the country's security, territorial integrity and its reform and opening up.

China has passed the National Anthem Law, the National Flag Law and the National Emblem Law, as well as the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, serving as a guarantee of the two region's long-term prosperity and stability.

The rule of law is the most favorable environment for business. Over the years, China has enacted the Foreign Investment Law, revised its Patent Law and the Copyright Law, and introduced new measures to enhance the protection of the property rights of enterprises.

In May, China's first fundamental law dedicated to promoting the private sector came into effect, strengthening legal protections and injecting fresh momentum into a key driver of the world's second-largest economy.

Based on these efforts, China's business environment has been constantly improving.

For the people

Meanwhile, China promotes the formulation of lists of powers and responsibilities of government departments, aiming to form a government function system with efficient operation.

It has streamlined administration, delegated power, improved regulation and upgraded services to improve its business environment. Over 1,000 items for administrative approval have been cancelled or delegated to lower-level authorities, and all items for non-administrative approval have been eliminated.

China's rule of law is also grounded in extensive public participation and reflects the voices of its citizens. The country's civil code, for instance, was drafted after 10 rounds of public consultations on the National People's Congress website, which collected over 1 million suggestions from 425,000 people.

"China's active promotion of comprehensive law-based governance and its efforts to build a sound legal system suited to China's national conditions have provided a solid legal guarantee for the country's economic and social development," said Pavel Troshchinsky, head of the Center for Political Research and Forecasting at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy.