A senior Party official yesterday called on legal professionals to be more creative in pushing for innovation in legal theory, and in the system and culture of law in China.

"Innovation is the source of a nation's prosperity, and the strong impetus for the development of legal theory and practice," said Luo Gan, secretary of the Political and Judiciary Commission under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Luo was addressing the opening ceremony of the Fifth Congress of the China Law Society. President Hu Jintao and Vice President Zeng Qinghong attended the opening ceremony.

The congress, which is being attended by over 400 legal professionals in China, will fix major goals for the society for the coming five years and elect new leadership officials in its three-day meeting.

Luo asked legal professionals to pay more attention to legal issues that have a stake in improving the country's market economy system as well as coordinated and sustainable development.

She Mengxiao, deputy vice president of the society, added priority should be given to studying how to build an open, competitive and ordered modern market system.

Luo also highlighted the importance of integrating studies on domestic and international legal issues.

(China Daily November 6, 2003)