The Rule of Law Ascends ... in China? | Fast Forward | OZY

The Rule of Law Ascends ... in China? | Fast Forward | OZY

by Steven Butler



Now here’s a first-class oxymoron: the rule of law — under the leadership of China’s Communist Party. Are the laws, duly passed and enacted, running the show? Or is the country’s government sticking its nose into everything and guiding the outcome?

No matter how you parse the question, one thing’s for sure in China: Courts of law are increasingly stepping out of the shadows to play a more prominent role regulating Chinese society by settling disputes, with landmark cases aimed at enforcing environmental law, checking the abuse of government power and just figuring out how to split up property in messy divorce cases. And more of what they do is on public record, making big areas of law more transparent. Instead of lodging a petition with the government, says Beijing lawyer Wei Shilin, the Chinese are increasingly taking their complaints to a judge, and the courts are often asked to weigh in on the complicated issues thrown up by the rapid changes in this society.
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