Highlights From China’s Fourth Plenary Session

China has concluded a four-day closed-door session, the fourth plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and has announced a communique following its closing on Thursday.

Below are the highlights outlined in the document, which focuses on “comprehensively advancing the rule of law” in China, according to Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency:

• The overall target is to form a system serving “the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics” and build a nation under “the socialist rule of law”.

• China will ensure the leadership of CPC in “the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics”.

• The major tasks are to improve a socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, in which the Constitution is taken as the core, to strengthen the implementation of the Constitution, to promote administration by law, to speed up building a law-abiding government, to safeguard judicial justice, to improve judicial credibility, to promote 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.

• To realize the rule of law, the country should be ruled in line with the Constitution.

• The system to ensure the implementation of the Constitution and to supervise the implementation should be improved.

• The National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee should play a better role in supervising the Constitution’s implementation

• China will work to build a law-abiding government.

• A mechanism to examine the legitimacy of major decision-making in governments should be set up, with a lifelong liability accounting system for major decisions and a retrospective mechanism to hold people accountable for wrong decisions.

• China will promote transparency of government affairs.

• A mechanism will be set up to record officials who interfere in judicial cases and name them publicly to hold them accountable.

• The Supreme People’s Court will set up circuit courts, and the nation will explore establishing cross-administrative region courts and procuratorates, and seek to allow prosecutors to file public interest litigation cases.

• The nation will enhance the protection of human rights in judicial procedures.

• China will try to recruit lawmakers, judges and prosecutors from qualified lawyers and law experts.

• The CPC will improve its internal rules and mechanisms.

• The effectiveness of implementing rule of law will be a significant index in judging the work of officials at various levels and will be added to their performance appraisal system.

• The People’s Liberation Army will promote the rule of law and enforce strict discipline.

• China will guarantee the practice of “one country, two systems” and promote national reunification in line with laws.

Source: Xinhua