Beijing boosts rule of law during 14th Five-Year Plan period

Beijing made significant strides in advancing the rule of law during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), providing robust legal support for the capital's high-quality development through improved legislation, streamlined enforcement, and enhanced legal literacy, officials said Wednesday at a press conference by the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal People's Government.

During the period, administrative efficiency saw marked improvement. The city reviewed over 2,100 administrative documents, significantly reducing legal discrepancies. A "minimal interference" list covering 550,000 businesses cut unnecessary inspections by 74.6% year on year while raising issue detection rates to 28.4%. The city has also implemented over 1,000 items for penalty exemptions or leniency for minor, first-time offenses, resolving more than 20,000 public complaints.

The city also processed 102,000 administrative reconsideration cases, helping resolve disputes and strengthen judicial oversight. The number of administrative heads appearing in court rose 2.4 times compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

Over the past five years, Beijing enacted 178 local regulations addressing urban governance, public services and key initiatives such as the subcenter's construction and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei development. New laws, including those on the "two zones," cultural heritage protection and the building of an international science and technology innovation center, were introduced, while outdated regulations were revised for consistency.

Xiong Jinghua, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said the legislature formulated 42 local regulations and regulatory decisions, amended 41 and repealed 11. The measures provide strong legal backing for the capital's ongoing reform and development.

Citizens' legal awareness also improved significantly. Legal education was incorporated into the "Safe Beijing" assessment, with initiatives such as constitutional oaths, court hearing observations and lectures promoting legal literacy among officials.

Fifteen Beijing institutions formed a university legal education team to boost legal awareness among young people through education, practice and cultural activities, while also conducting widespread outreach.

Beijing now has eight national and 99 municipal-level legal education centers. These institutions have produced over 1,300 law-themed works and hosted more than 2,100 performances to promote public legal awareness.