CCTV:

We have noted that in his report to the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly declared that a comprehensive framework for law-based governance has taken shape in China. What measures has the Ministry of Justice taken to promote law-based governance on all fronts and administration of justice in the new era? How do you evaluate the effects? What are the future considerations? Thank you.

Zuo Li:

Thank you for your question. I will answer it.

In his report to the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we have intensified efforts to advance socialist rule of law in our country, and a comprehensive framework for law-based governance has taken shape . This is a significant achievement made by the CPC Central Committee in comprehensively promoting law-based governance since the 18th CPC National Congress. While promoting law-based governance in all respects and administration of justice in the new era, we have adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, and focused on the "one coordination and four major functions." The "one coordination" indicates coordinating the law-based governance work across the board. We have promoted the basic completion of the top-level design of the "one plan and two outlines," namely, the plan for promoting the rule of law in China, the outline for building a government based on the rule of law, and the outline for building a society based on the rule of law . The "one plan and two outlines" will comprehensively promote integrated efforts to build a country, a government, and a society based on the rule of law . The "four major functions" point to administrative legislation, administrative law enforcement, the execution of criminal penalties, and public legal services. Focusing on these "four major functions," we will further facilitate new and steady achievements in the work of administration of justice.

To be specific, first, we will accelerate the improvement of the system for law-based administration and make new progress in administrative legislation work. We will make further headway in making laws in a well-conceived and democratic way and in accordance with the law . We have promoted the formulation and revision of a slew of important administrative regulations, including the regulation on optimizing the business environment , and comprehensively carried out tasks of recording and reviewing laws and regulations as well as clearing them up through special plans, providing a strong legal guarantee for the great overall development of the cause of the Party and the country.

Second, we will take practical measures to advance strict, procedure-based, impartial, and civil law enforcement and work to open a new chapter in the coordination and supervision work concerning administrative law enforcement. We have been pressing forward with the three administrative law enforcement systems in an all-round manner, namely, the system of public notification for administrative law enforcement, the system of archiving throughout the whole process of administrative law enforcement, and the system of legal review of major law enforcement decisions. We will accelerate building the work system of coordination and supervision for administrative law enforcement at provincial, city, county, and township levels. For the first time, we have unified the standard design of certificates for administrative law enforcement as well as uniforms and logos of six comprehensive administrative law enforcement teams. Campaigns have been carried out to cut down on requirements for administrative certification to ensure greater convenience for the people, with over 21,000 certification requirements canceled. We have strengthened oversight over administrative review. Over the past decade, administrative review organs at various levels have handled over 1.9 million cases, with 13.6% of them being corrected on average, significantly improving law-based government administration.

Third, we will strengthen oversight and management in accordance with the law and work to further improve criminal enforcement work. We have promoted the standardized, procedure- and law-based development of prisons. We have fully screened cases involving commutation, parole and execution of sentences outside prison, improved the system of responsibility for handling cases, imposed rigid constraints on the system, and taken strict measures to punish the violation of laws and disciplines. We have promoted the formulation and implementation of the Community Correction Law and strengthened the oversight and management of community correction to safeguard national security and social stability with all our efforts.

Fourth, we will uphold the rule of law for the people and work to make breakthroughs in public legal services. A public legal service network covering urban and rural areas has been established. There are now over 570,000 physical platforms nationwide, more than 600,000 villages (communities) with legal counselors, and over 2,000 telephone operators working for legal service hotlines. We have fully accomplished the seventh Five-Year Plan for Promoting the Rule of Law (2016-2020) and are now implementing the eighth plan. We expect journalists present today to pay more attention to and work to attract more attention to public legal education, helping to make the rule of law a consensus of the entire society. We have also improved the national unified legal profession qualification system. At the same time, we have ensured lawyers' rights to perform their duties, including the right to participate in litigation, consult copies of case files, and investigate and collect evidence. Moreover, we have developed and strengthened legal service ranks consisting of lawyers, notaries, judicial experts, arbitrators and people's mediators. With these efforts, we will further consolidate the foundations of law-based society.

Next, we will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and uphold the Party's centralized and unified leadership over the law-based governance on all fronts. We will actively respond to the new expectations and requirements of the people about the rule of law, focus on key areas and links, and perform our duties to safeguard high-quality development with high-quality rule of law. Thank you.

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