Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T01:17:13.811Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - The Conception of Legality under Xi Jinping

from Part I - Ideology and the Party in Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2020

Rogier J. E. H. Creemers
Affiliation:
Universiteit Leiden
Susan Trevaskes
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
Get access

Summary

In his study of Chinese Communist Party rule-of-law doctrine, Ewan Smith argues that in the Xi Jinping era, Party leadership has shifted the dominant understanding that rule of law functions to rectify institutions to the understanding that it ‘rectifies’ or disciplines individuals as state and non-state actors. The rule of law has been explicitly subordinated to ‘Party Leadership’, and the law has been recast as one form of social control among many. Moreover, the rule of law under Xi is explicitly superstructural. It yields to basic economic changes, including China’s development needs. Moreover, whereas earlier accounts suggest a foreign idea under cautious inspection, Party doctrine under Xi identifies rule of law in China as indigenous and largely unrelated to Western accounts. These shifts in the Party’s frame of reference in relation to rule of law see it now as not merely an ephemeral concept but a ‘superstructural concept’, relativised as ‘Socialist Rule of Law with Chinese Characteristics’ in the new era.

Type
Chapter
Information
Law and the Party in China
Ideology and Organisation
, pp. 97 - 120
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barber, N. 2018. The Principles of the Constitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratman, M. 1999. Faces of Intention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cao, D. 2001. ‘Fazhi vs/and/or rule of law?International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 14, 223–47.Google Scholar
CCP 2013. CCP central committee general office communiqué on the current state of the ideological sphere. 22 April. Available from: www.chinafile.com/document-9-chinafile-translation.Google Scholar
CCP. 2014. CCP central committee decision concerning some major questions in comprehensively moving ruling the country according to law forward. 28 October 2014. Available from: https://chinacopyrightandmedia.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/ccp-central-committee-decision-concerning-some-major-questions-in-comprehensively-moving-governing-the-country-according-to-the-law-forward/.Google Scholar
Clarke, D. 2003. ‘Puzzling observations on Chinese law – when is a riddle just a mistake?’ In Hsu, C. S., ed., Understanding China’s Legal System: Essays in Honor of Jerome A. Cohen. New York: New York University, pp. 93121.Google Scholar
Dyzenhaus, D. 2012. Constitutionalism in an old key: legality and constituent power. Global Constitutionalism 229–60.Google Scholar
Dyzenhaus, D. 2015. The concept of the rule-of-law state in Carl Schmitt’s verfassungslehre. In Meierhenrich, J. and Simons, O., eds., The Oxford Handbook of Carl Schmitt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fewsmith, J. 2003. The sixteenth national party congress: the succession that didn’t happen. The China Quarterly 173 (1), 116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finnis, J. 2011. Natural Law and Natural Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Vitae, Humanae, Encyclical Letter of Paul VI of 25 July, 1968, Part II – ‘Doctrinal Principles’.Google Scholar
Jiang, Zemin. 1997. Work report to the 15th national congress of the communist party of China, issued 12 September. Available from: www.bjreview.com.cn/document/txt/2011-03/25/content_363499.htm.Google Scholar
Jiang, Zemin. 2002. Work report to the 16th national congress of the communist party of China, issued 18 November. Available from: www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/topics_665678/3698_665962/t18872.shtml.Google Scholar
Lasser, M. 2004. Judicial Deliberations – A Comparative Analysis of Judicial Transparency and Legitimacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Legge, J. 1971. Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean. London: Dover Publications.Google Scholar
Li, Buyun. 2003. Guanyu Fazhi yu Fazhi de Qubie, Cong Fazhi dao Fazhi Ershinian Gai Yizi. Fali Tansuo (Jurisprudential Explorations). Changsha: Hunan Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Fuller, L. 1949. Pashukanis and Vyshinsky: a study in the development of Marxian legal theory. Michigan Law Review 47, 1157–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lubman, S. 1999. Bird in a Cage: Legal Reform in China after Mao. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Miller, H. L. 2004. Hu Jintao and the party politburo. China Leadership Monitor 9. Available from: http://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/clm9_lm.pdf.Google Scholar
Miller, A. 2004. Party Politburo processes under Hu Jintao. China Leadership Monitor 11. Available from: www.hoover.org/research/party-politburo-processes-under-hu-jintao.Google Scholar
Miller, A. 2015. Politburo processes under Xi. China Leadership Monitor 47. Available from: www.hoover.org/research/politburo-processes-under-xi-jinping.Google Scholar
Miller, A. L. 2006. More already on Politburo procedures under Hu Jintao. China Leadership Monitor 17. Available from: www.hoover.org/research/more-already-politburo-procedures-under-hu-jintao.Google Scholar
Nathan, A. 1976. Peking Politics, 1918–1923: Factionalism and the Failure of Constitutionalism. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Nathan, A. 2015. Beijing bull, the bogus China model. The National Interest, 22 October. Available from: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/beijing-bull-the-bogus-china-model-14107.Google Scholar
Osakwe, C. 1985. The four images of soviet law: a philosophical analysis of the soviet legal system. Texas International Law Journal 21, 137.Google Scholar
Osakwe, C. 1987. The greening of socialist law as an academic discipline, Tulane Law Review 61(6), 1257–78.Google Scholar
Peerenboom, R. 2002. China’s Long March toward Rule of Law Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Peerenboom, R. 2015. Fly high the banner of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics! Hague Journal on the Rule of Law 7, 4974.Google Scholar
Potter, P. 1999. The Chinese legal system: continuing commitment to the primacy of state power. The China Quarterly 159, 673–83.Google Scholar
Potter, P. 2003. From Leninist Discipline to Socialist Legalism: Peng Zhen on Law and Political Authority in the PRC. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Quigley, J., The Soviet Union as a state under the rule of law: an overview. Cornell International Law Journal 23, 205.Google Scholar
Renmin Ribao. 2004. Hu Jintao zai zhonggong zhongyang dishierci jiti xuexi shi qiangdiao: yifa zhiguo, yifa zhizheng (At the 12th politburo study session, Hu Jintao emphasises: govern the country and the executive according to law). Renmin ribao (People’s Daily), 28 April.Google Scholar
Renmin Ribao. 2013. Xi Jingping zhuchi zhonggong zhongyang zhengzhiju disici jiti xuexi (Xi Jinping chairs the fourth politburo collective study session). Renmin ribao (People’s Daily), 25 February.Google Scholar
Renmin Ribao. 2016. Jianchi yifa zhiguo he yide zhiguo xiang jihe, tuijin guojia zhili tixi he zhili nengli xiandaihua (Xi Jinping: persist in combining governing the country according to law, and according to morals, push forward the modernisation of the system of national governance, and of our national governing capacity). Renmin ribao (People’s Daily), 11 December.Google Scholar
Rudden, B. 1978. Law and ideology in the Soviet Union. Current Legal Problems 31(1), 189205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoenhals, M. 1992. Doing Things with Words in Chinese Politics: Five Studies. London and Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Schurmann, F. 1986. Ideology and Organization in Communist China. London and Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
SEC Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations of 4 April 2018, Question 102.09.Google Scholar
Smith, E. 2018. The rule of law doctrine of the politburo. The China Journal 79, 4061.Google Scholar
Smith, E. 2019. The rule of law in party documents. China Law and Society Review 4, 4169.Google Scholar
Stalnaker, R. 2014. In Perry, A., ed., The internal aspect of social rules. 35 OJLS 283 at note 14.Google Scholar
Tay, A. and Kamenka, E. 1970. The life and afterlife of a bolshevik jurist. Problems of Communism 19, 72–9.Google Scholar
Tsai, W.-H. and Kao, P.-H. 2013. Secret codes of political propaganda: the unknown system of writing teams. The China Quarterly 214, 394410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Unger, R. 1976. Law in Modern Society. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Vyshinsky, A. 1948. The Law of the Soviet State. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Xi, Jinping. 2013. Address to the second plenary meeting of the central discipline and inspection commission of the eighteenth central committee. Xinhua, 22 January.Google Scholar
Xi, Zhong. 1998. Dui liangxing weixian de fansi (Reflections on benign violations of the constitution. Pinyin (Legal Science Review ) 6, 26–33.Google Scholar
Xiao, K.-C. 1979. A History of Chinese Political Thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2002, Jiaqiang lingdao ganbu xuexi. Tigao zhizheng xingguo benling (Strengthen study among leading cadres, enhance our capacity for governance and national revival), 26 December.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2011. Wu Bangguo ‘Qi queli’ yu ‘wu bu’ gao miaoshu zhongguo tese zhengzhi wenming (Wu Bangguo: The ‘seven establishes’ and ‘five nos’ describe a political culture with Chinese characteristics), 11 March.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2015. Xi Jinping: yi tigao sifa gongxinli wei genben chidu. jianding buyi shenhua sifa tizhi gaige (Xi Jinping: We must resolutely engage in profound reform of the judicial system, making higher public confidence in the judiciary the yardstick), 25 March.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2015. Xi Jinping: jiaqiang fubai changlian fagui zhidu jianshe, rang fagui zhidu de liliang chongfen shifang (Xi Jinping: strengthen the system of anti-corruption laws and regulations, fully release the power of law and regulation), 27 June.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2017. Zui fao fa Zhou Qiang: Yao ganyu xiang xifang ‘sifaduli’ deng cuowu sichao liangjian (SPC’s Zhou Qiang: We must dare to draw out weapon against erroneous western ideas like judicial independence), 14 January.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2018. Xi Jinping zai zhonggong zhongyang zhengzhiju di shiyici jiti xuexi shi qiangdiao: Chixu shenhua guojia jiancha tizhi gaige tuijin fanfubai gongzuo fazhihua guifanhua (At the eleventh politburo study session Xi Jinping emphasises: persist in profound reform of the supervision system, push forward the subjection of anti-corruption work to law and to norms), 14 December.Google Scholar
Xinhua. 2019. Xi Jinping zai zhongyang zhengzhiju di shiqici jiti xuexi shi qiangdiao jixu yanzhe dang he renmin kaipi de zhengque daolv qianjin, buduan tuijin guojia zhili tixi he zhili nengli xiandaihua (At the 17th politburo collective study session, Xi Jinping emphasizes: carry on along the road of the party and the people, push forward the modernisation of our governance system and governing capacity), 24 September.Google Scholar
Xu, Xianming. 2014. Jianchi he fazhan dang jia zuo zhu de hao zhidu (Uphold and develop a good system: the people as masters of their own affairs). Qiushi (Seeking Truth) 19.Google Scholar
Zinoviev, A. 1986. Homo Sovieticus. London: Paladin.Google Scholar
Žižek, S. 2007. On Practice and Contradiction. London: Verso.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×