Page 4 - COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE FOURTH PLENARY SESSION OF THE 18TH CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

governance of the country; keep firmly to the path of socialist rule of law with
Chinese characteristics; resolutely uphold the authority of the Constitution and
laws; use the law to safeguard the rights and interests of the people, protect social
equity and justice, and defend national security and stability; and thus, through the
rule of law, provide a powerful guarantee for achieving the Two Centenary Goals
and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

It was made clear at the session that our overall objective in comprehensively
advancing the law-based governance of the country is the establishment of a
socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics and the building of a
socialist rule of law country. This means that under the CPC’s leadership, we need
to uphold socialism with Chinese characteristics; put into practice the theory of
socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics; form a complete system of laws
and regulations, a highly effective system to ensure the rule of law is put into
effect, a stringent system to oversee the implementation of the rule of law, and a
robust system to guarantee the rule of law; put in place a well-defined system of
Party rules and regulations; make coordinated efforts to promote law-based
governance, law-based exercise of state power, and law-based administration of
government; adopt a holistic approach to the development of a rule of law
country, government, and society; ensure that a scientific approach is taken to
legislation, that law is enforced strictly, that justice is administered impartially, and
that the law is observed by everyone; and modernize our country’s governance
system and capacity for governance.

To reach this overall objective, we must adhere to the leadership of the CPC,
uphold the people’s principal position in the country, ensure that everyone is equal
before the law, combine the rule of law with the rule of virtue, and base all we do
on the actual situation in China.

It was stressed at the session that the Party’s leadership is the most essential
feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the most fundamental
guarantee for socialist rule of law in China. The need to exercise the Party’s
leadership throughout the whole process and in every aspect of the law-based
governance of the country is a basic lesson we have learned in developing socialist
rule of law in China.

The position of leadership of the CPC is written into China’s Constitution.
Upholding the Party’s leadership is fundamental to socialist rule of law; it is the
foundation and lifeblood of both the Party and the country, affects the interests
and wellbeing of people of all China’s ethnic groups, and is an integral part of our
efforts to comprehensively advance the law-based governance of the country. The
Party’s leadership is consistent with socialist rule of law: socialist rule of law must
uphold the Party’s leadership, while the Party’s leadership must rely upon socialist
rule of law.

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