Editor’s notes:

Ten high-frequency words on the rule of law were selected from President Xi Jinping’s remarks and signed articles in 2015 through big data analysis by cpc.people.cn. These words are references on understanding Xi’s strategies and thoughts on governance.

President Xi’s Top 10 high-frequency words on the rule of law in 2015：

The rule of law

Judiciary

Corruption/anti-corruption

Fairness and justice

Law enforcement

Morality

Legislation

Law abidance

Judge/lawyer

Constitution

The major task of the year: construction of a country under the rule of law

President Xi published a signed article advancing the rule of law in “Truth Seeking”, a flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Jan 1, 2015.

The Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Certain Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Advancing the Law-Based Governance of China was approved at the fourth plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC and put forward more than 180 reform measures, drawing up guidelines and a clear blueprint for China’s rule of law.

The aim of judicial reform: to establish a just, efficient and authoritative judicial system

Many national deployments and measures on promoting the rule of law were underway.

March 24

Xi: “The judicial system is an important part of superstructure. Promoting the judicial reform is a self-improvement and development of the socialist legal system, adhering to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. Deepening the reform and building a just, efficient and authoritative judicial system is an essential initiative for boosting the modernization of a national governance system and governing capacity.”

A group of proposals and opinions on improving the categorized management of judicial personnel, the judicial accountability system, and the career security of judicial personnel, have been approved this year.

April 1

Planning for the people's juror system reform pilot program and the implementation plan for important measures approved by the fourth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee (2015-2020) were approved at the 11th meeting of the central leading group for comprehensively deepening reform.

May 1 The Opinions on Carrying out Reform concerning the Case Filing Registration System in People's Courts took effect.

September 15

The opinions on deepening reform of the lawyer system, the pilot programs on reform of judges and prosecutors’ jobs sequence and salaries for judges and prosecutors were passed at the 16th meeting of thecentral leading group for comprehensively deepening reform.

The judicial accountability system: the key to prevent abuse of power

President Xi emphasized the importance of the judicial accountability system and urged all judges and prosecutors to take lifelong responsibility for their cases in his speech in March.

China issued guidance documents on accountability and punishment of judicial personnel and officials’ intervention in judicial affairs in March.

The Party Central Political and Legal Affairs Committee circulated a notice of criticism on five typical cases concerning officials’ interfering in judicial affairs, cases, and legal workers’ inquiring into cases in November.

Improved legal system within the Party: With the help of Party discipline and national laws

Xi said the leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee of socialist rule of law, and adhering to the leadership of the party is the fundamental characteristics and a political advantage of the socialist judicial system of China. Two new rules on clean governance and sanctions for those who violate the Party code of conduct were released on Oct 21.

Enhancing public awareness of rule of law: Fairness and justice should be judged by people

In commenting on how to evaluate the effect of judicial reform, Xi said that the reform should serve the people, rely on the people and benefit the people, and the result should be judged by the people.

He also said in a signed article that it is obligatory to combine the rule of law and the rule of virtue in running the country.