The Poster News APP:

Raising public awareness of the law is of fundamental importance for comprehensively advancing law-based governance and building a country of the socialist rule of law. Could you share efforts in this regard with us? How effective are the efforts? What steps will be taken next? Thank you. 

Xiong Xuanguo:

Thank you for your concern and support for raising public awareness of the law, a work that needs strong support from news media. 

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continually raised public awareness of the law and observance of law by all as a long-term work of fundamental importance to comprehensively advancing law-based governance. It has taken solid measures to strengthen Party leadership over efforts in this regard and continued to improve top-level designs. The seventh five-year plan for raising public legal literacy has come to a successful conclusion, and the eighth five-year plan has been started, which brought about continuous improvement in the public awareness of the law. The number of people resorting to law when they or their families are faced with unfair treatment is the highest compared with those choosing other means of solution, pointing to a marked rise in citizens' recognition of the rule of law, as shown by an analysis report about a national survey on public state of mind published by the National Bureau of Statistics. 

In June 2021, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council distributed the eighth five-year plan for raising public legal literacy. To promote the plan's in-depth implementation, we will focus on three aspects of work.

First, we will give prominence to the study and promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. The study and promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, as the primary guidance and priority of the eighth five-year plan, will be one of the responsibilities of law enforcement personnel to promote legal awareness among the public. Efforts will be strengthened to explain Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law in simple terms. The role of the local teams in raising public legal literacy under the eighth five-year plan, the 73 national bases for heightening public awareness of the rule of law, and the numerous legal knowledge promotion services in villages and communities will be leveraged to promote regular study and promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and increase its public appeal.

Second, we will support efforts to raise the legal awareness of leading officials and young people. We will compile a list of laws and regulations that top officials should grasp. Together with relevant departments, we will continue to include education on the rule of law into the general education plan for leading officials, the national education system, and the senior high school entrance and senior high school examinations. 

Third, we will emphasize efforts to strengthen citizens' awareness of the rule of law. We will work to ensure that the pilot initiatives in Zhejiang province and seven other localities to improve citizens' legal literacy are successfully carried out. We will also study and draft the indicators for evaluating citizens' legal literacy. We will continue to strengthen citizens' perception of rights and obligations, their public awareness, and their awareness to safeguard rights in accordance with the law and make the rule of law a social consensus and basic norm. Thank you.

Kyodo News:

The concept of law in China is different from that in Western countries. Is China's modern vision of law the same as that of Han Feizi, the great Legalist philosopher from ancient China? Thank you.

Xiong Xuanguo:

Thank you for your interest in the rule of law in China. I will give a brief answer to your question. 

Due to the differences in economics, social systems, historical traditions, and cultural heritage in ancient and modern China and foreign countries, concepts often vary in recognition and understanding by people of different countries, ethnic groups, and times. As far as the concept of law is concerned, the first sentence of the Plan to Build the Rule of Law in China is perfect. "The rule of law is an important symbol of the progress of human civilization, the basic way of governing the country, and the unremitting pursuit of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people." Therefore, for people from all over the world, good laws and good governance are common expectations and pursuits. 

You just mentioned Han Feizi, a representative figure of the Legalist school of philosophy in ancient Chinese history. He represents the culmination of Legalist theories and puts forward many insightful propositions and viewpoints. More than 2,000 years ago, he said, "the country must be ruled by law, and the law must not favor the powerful," which means that everyone is equal before the law. He also proposed "teaching the law to the country," which means laws can't just be formulated but also must be taught to ordinary people. These points are insightful. Therefore, he significantly influenced the Chinese legal system and the Chinese rule of law culture.

In the historical process of comprehensively advancing law-based governance, we must vigorously carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese legal culture and actively learn from the outstanding achievements of human civilization on the rule of law. We must take root in Chinese culture and solve China's problems based on China's national conditions. We must unswervingly follow the path of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and accelerate the building of such a system and the improvement of socialist rule of law in China. Thank you.

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