Rule of Law in China: Speech by Madame Tao Kaiyuan, Vice President of China’s Supreme People’s Court

Throughout its history, China has never valued the need for the rule of law more than today. Facing an unprecedented movement against corrupt high-ranking officials and a politically-aware and burgeoning middle class, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) declared “rule of law” the central theme for the Fourth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee in October 2014. At the meeting, the leadership committed to legal reforms that will transform China into a country ruled by law, opening up a new chapter in Chinese legal history.

On January 28, the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution hosted Madame Tao Kaiyuan, vice president of the Supreme People’s Court of China, Judiciary Committee member and grand justice of the Second Rank. Madame Tao shared her perspective on the new developments in Chinese judicial reform, the relationship between the constitution and the CCP, and the impact of rule of law on the country.