Rule of Law in China: Prospects and Challenges

As China’s newly appointed politburo begins the transition to political leadership, they will confront a host of critical policy issues, few of which are easy to resolve. The development of China’s legal system is arguably the most consequential issue confronting China’s new leaders, and the direction of future legal reforms will have deep reverberations in matters of human rights, sociopolitical stability, the transformation of the political system, and prospects of the country’s economic growth.

On November 28, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted the launch of In the Name of Justice: Striving for the Rule of Law in China (Brookings Press, 2012), a new book by Professor He Weifang, one of China’s most influential legal thinkers. The discussion brought together prominent American legal scholars to present a critical assessment of the development of China’s legal system and concluded with a discussion between U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer and John L. Thornton, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Brookings, on the significance of the ongoing search for constitutionalism in China.