The “2021 New Year Forum: Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and Building theRule ofLaw in China”washeldby the School of Juris Master in China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL)on January 8, 2021, with a view to thoroughly studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, advancing law-based governance in all respects with Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and consciously conducting law education, jurisprudential research and legal practice in light of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law.In consideration ofthe pandemic prevention needs, thisforum was held both online and offline.
Presided over by Prof. Xu Shenjian, Dean of the School of Juris Master, this New Year Forum was attended online by more than 260 persons, including staff of legal divisions, as well as teachers and students from nearly 30 universities such as CUPL, Renmin University of China, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and University of International Business and Economics.
Prof. Ma Huaide, President of CUPL, delivered a speechfirst. According to him, this forum, themed by studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and advancing law-based governanceinChina, is of great practical significance.He expressed his understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law around consistently fostering the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, adding that a complete system of legal norms, an efficient system for implementing rule of law and a strong legalguaranteesystem are priorities over other two subsystems of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics,besides a strengthened public legal sense and their awareness of law-based governance.
Prof. Jiang Bixin, the former Grand Justice of the Second Rank of the Supreme People’s Court and ViceChairmanof the Constitution and Law Committee of the National People’s Congress, interpreted Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and summarized its relationship withbuilding the rule of law in China. According to him, Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Lawaimsto buildthe rule of lawin China. To be specific, it explainsthereasons to take on a law-based road with enough theoretical and practical basis; it reveals the fundamental form ofChina’slaw-based governance to be built; itproposes theways to build the rule of law in Chinaby specifyingthe general direction and path;andit designsthespecific steps tobuild the rule of lawin China. He concluded that Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is highly related tothe building the rule of law in China as its mainstay and core are carried out aroundbuilding the rule of law in China. Building the rule of law in China will surely come true as long as Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is conscientiously and thoroughly implemented and practice is guided by correct theories.
Prof. Hu Yunteng, the former Grand Justice of the Second Rank of the Supreme People’s Court and Chairman of the Case Law Institute of the China Law Society, delivered a speechtitled“Profoundly Studying Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and Vigorously Advancing the Case Law-based Governance”.According to him, Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law supplements China’s theories of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, henceconductive toa more complete theoretical system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.He interpreted the General Secretary Xi Jinping’s thought on case law-based governance in three aspects, so as to adopt General Secretary Xi’s thoughts and theories on case law work and case law-based governance in legal practice. The first is a saying by General Secretary Xi, “A case works better than a stack of documents”; the second is a recognized formula on case lawproposedby General Secretary Xi—100-1=0, whichcalls for fullawareness of the seriousness of wrongful convictions;andthe third is a requirement, i.e. to enablethepeopleto see thatjusticeis servedin every judicial case.
Duringtheinteraction, Prof.Han Wensheng, Secretary of the Party committee of theSchool, and Prof.Luo Zhiminof theSchool respectively raised the issuesof combiningthe rule of law with efficiencyandtreatingthe same case with different judgments from fairness and justice perspectives. Prof.Jiang Bixin and Prof.Hu Yunteng respondedto these two issuesfrom different angles.
Finally,Prof.Xu Shenjianmade concludingremarks. He said that thediscussiononthis topic on the occasion of the New Year is of great significance. He added that thethree speakers’ interpretations ofthe connotation of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Lawandbuilding the rule of law in China from different aspectsin their speecheswerestrategicallymeaningfulandenlightening. The 2021 New YearForum and celebration activities of the School of Juris Master were successfully concluded.
