Legal Daily:

Over the past two years, the Plan to Build the Rule of Law in China (2020-2025), the outline in pursuit of building a law-based society (2020-2025), and the an outline on promoting the building of a rule of law government t (2020-2025) have been issued and implemented. We'd like to know how the relevant departments promote the implementation of these three policies? In particular, how do they advance the building of a government based on the rule of law? Thank you.

Tang Yijun:

Thank you for your questions. Formulating these three policies, like establishing the beams and pillars of a house for the building of the rule of law in China, is a significant decision and arrangement made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to promote comprehensive law-based governance in the new era. The formulation and implementation of the policies mark the basic formation of the overall pattern of comprehensive law-based governance in the new era. Building a rule-of-law China with good laws and governance has begun a new journey.

The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to implementing these policies. In February and September 2021, the Rule of Law Commission of the CPC Central Committee formulated and issued three division of labor plans for carrying out major measures involved in the policies. The Office of the Rule of Law Commission of the CPC Central Committee pushed to divide various important tasks and measures between relevant annual work plans and important missions. It has formulated and issued important supporting documents and measures such as the index system for better building law-based municipal and county governments, the index system for building law-based society, the opinions on strengthening the building of socialist legal culture, and the opinions on further strengthening the building of rule of law in cities and counties. The implementation of the three policies is being vigorously and effectively advanced, and the progress is generally smooth.

You specifically asked about building a government based on the rule of law just now, which is an excellent question. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that forming a law-based government is the key task and main project of comprehensive law-based governance, and it is necessary to take the lead in making breakthroughs. The Office of the Rule of Law Commission of the Central Committee of the CPC, together with relevant departments, has taken a series of important measures to promote building a rule-of-law government.

First, we have promoted the improvement of the law-based administrative system. We strengthened legislation in key areas, emerging areas, and foreign-related areas and promoted the filing review of laws and regulations. We also cleaned up laws and regulations in areas like institution reform, free trade zone construction, and the implementation of the Civil Code. In the past decade, we have promoted the formulation and revision of more than 420 administrative regulations and abolished 59 after review.

Second, we have deepened reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, and strengthen services. We have strived to create a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment. All non-administrative approval items have been canceled, while administrative approval items have been greatly reduced. The governments of all provinces, cities, and counties have formulated and published lists of powers and responsibilities and continued to carry out the campaign of "reduction of certificates and more convenience for the people." We have pushed various localities and departments to clean up more than 21,000 certification items, effectively solving the problems of "absurd certification" and "repeated certification."

Third, we have actively promoted decision-making in accordance with the law. We formulated the interim regulations on major administrative decision-making procedures, comprehensively promoted the system of government lawyers and legal counsels, and further strengthened the review of the legality of administrative decisions.

Fourth, we have further promoted strict, standardized, impartial, and civilized law enforcement. We fully implemented the "three systems" of administrative law enforcement (regarding making the process public, recording the whole process, and legality review of major decisions) and organized and carried out pilot projects to build an administrative law enforcement coordination and supervision work system at the provincial, city, county, and township levels. Comprehensive law enforcement reforms in market supervision, ecological environment, agriculture, cultural markets, and transportation have been completed. We have strengthened the supervision of administrative reviews. Over the past ten years, administrative review agencies at all levels have handled more than 1.9 million administrative review cases, with an error-correction rate of 13.6%.

Fifth, we have deployed two batches of activities to construct rule-of-law demonstration governments nationwide. We selected 40 comprehensive demonstration areas and 24 single demonstration projects in the first batch, and the selection of the second batch is progressing in an orderly manner. All regions and departments attach growing importance to comprehensively building law-based governments. The efforts are increasing, and the results are becoming more impressive. 

Sixth, we have conducted inspection work on building law-based governance nationwide. This work has achieved full coverage at the provincial level. We have summarized and promoted 24 typical experiences, such as Beijing government's regulations on quickly responding to people's appeals, and Ma'anshan city's ten-year fishing ban for ecological preservation along Yangtze River Basin. We have promoted the resolution of more than 80 typical issues, such as governmental departments' long-lasting non-payment of compensation, entrapment and administrative penalties that violate regulations. We also solved more than 820 various problems. So, the work has effectively made pressure felt, had responsibilities fulfilled, and promoted building a rule-of-law government. Thank you.