Friday, December 04, 2015

Rule of Law, the Chinese Communist Party Basic Line, and Judicial Reform (法治,中国共产党基本路线原则,以及司法改革): Presentation at "Rule of Law and Judicial Reform" Conference organized by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing

(Pix © Larry Catá Backer 2015)


It was my great honor to have been invited to participate in an upcoming conference hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and organized by the CASS Institute of Law to take place 11-12 December 2015 in Beijing:  International Conference on the “Rule of Law and Judicial Reform”  (中国社会科学院以及社科院法学所主办的2015年12月11-12日“法治与司法改革”国际学术会议). 


Rule of Law, the Chinese Communist Party Basic Line, and Judicial Reform
法治,中国共产党基本路线原则,以及司法改革
Larry Catá Backer (白柯)
Paper prepared for International Conference on the “Rule of Law and Judicial Reform” held in Beijing on 11th and 12th December 2015, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and organized by the CASS Institute of Law
本文为由中国社会科学院以及社科院法学所主办的2015年12月11-12日“法治与司法改革”国际学术会议所做

Abstract:  There has been much debate about rule of law with respect to its definition and application.  It is impossible, however, to appreciate the context in which rule of law acquires its meaning without a careful attention to the political system within which it necessarily operates. This paper considers the specific context in which the concept  of socialist rule of law has arisen in China.  To that end it is necessary to place the rule of law within the normative framework of the political order of the Chinese state.  To that end this paper first considers the emergence of the current understanding of the rule of law as an integral part of the objective of socialist modernization and the development of socialist democracy, culture and society. Once contextualized within this basic line of the Chinese Communist Party, the application of the rule of law within the efforts to reform the judicial function may be better evaluated.  The paper begins with an analysis of the evolution of the rule of law concept as an integral part of the CCP Basic Line. To that end it considers rule of law and judicial reform through the lens of the Resolution of the 4th Plenum of the 18th Party Congress. It then considers the means chosen to implement rule of law within the judicial structures of China both within the CCP itself and in the state organs, including the Judicial department of the state. The paper ends with an evaluation of the current state and offers thoughts on how to build from that foundation.

摘要: 有关法治的含义及其实施的讨论不胜枚举。而对于法治概念的理解是无法离开对其所实施环境下的政治体制进行仔细研究。本文认为法治观念已在中国萌生,因而有 必要将法治置于中国的政治秩序体制之中。首先,本文将探讨正在形成的法治观认为法治已经融入到推动社会主义现代化,发展社会主义民主,社会以及文化的进程 中。只有将其置于中国共产党的基本路线,原则下,才能真正通过司法改革来实施法治。本文将分析法治观念的形成与党的基本路线是相融合的。十八届四中全会关 于全面推进依法治国若干重大问题的决定为此提供了极佳的范本。其次,本文将讨论中国通过共产党和国家司法系统共同推行法治。本文最终将对当下改革进行评述 并给出建议。

POWERPOINT:



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CONFERENCE AGENDA
December 11, 2015 (Friday)
08:50               Registration
Venue: CASS Law Institute (No.15, Shatan Beijie)

09:00-09:30    Opening Ceremony
Chairperson: Prof. Mo Jihong, Deputy Director of CASS Law Institute
Speeches (10 minutes for each speech)

Speaker 2:       Prof. Benjamin L. LiebmanDirector of Center for Chinese Legal Studies, Columbia Law School, USA
Speaker 3:       Prof. Li Lin, CASS Member and Director of CASS Law Institute

09:30-09:45    Tea Break

09:45-12:00    Unit 1: Keynote Speeches
Chairperson:    Prof. Zhou Hanhua, Assistant Director of CASS Law Institute
Topic:       To be confirmed
Speaker 2:       Prof. Simon Deakin Francis, University of Cambridge
Topic:              Law, Trust, and Institutional Variation in China: Evidence from Qualitative Fieldwork

Speaker 3:       Prof. Shen Guoming, Vice Chairman, Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations
Topic:       To be confirmed
Speaker 4:       Professor Simon Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Melbourne
Topic:              The Role and Function of the Judiciary and Contemporary Challenges to the Rule of Law in Australia
Speaker 5:       Prof. Mo Jihong, Deputy Director of CASS Law Institute
Topic:       To be confirmed

Comments and Discussion

12:00-13:30   Lunch


13:30-15:15    Unit 2: New Development of the Rule of Law in Different Countries
Moderators:     Prof. Li Zhong, CASS Law Institute
                        Prof. Benjamin L. LiebmanDirector of Center for Chinese Legal Studies, Columbia Law School, USA
Speaker 1:       Prof. Yoshiki Kurumisawa, Dean of Law School, Waseda University, Waseda University, Japan
Topic:              Crisis of Rule of Law in Japan –  Unconstitutional Legislation for Peace and Security
Speaker 2:       Prof. Ignazio Castellucci, University of Trento, Italy
Topic:              Supervision v. Checks & Balances: Competing or Cooperating?
Speaker 3:       Prof. Seong Woo Ji, Head Professor/Law School, Dean/ School of Public Policy, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Topic:              Challenge and Response of the Korean Personal Information Protection Act in the Era of IoT (Internet of Things)
Speaker 4:       Associate Prof. Karin Buhmann, Copenhagen Business School
Topic:              Rule of Law and Administrative Law: A European perspective based on guidance from the Council of Europe
Speaker 5:       Sevalnev Viacheslav, senior researcher, the Institute of the Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation
Topic:              The legislative problems of the conflict of interests definition 

Comments and Discussion

15:15-15:30    Tea Break

15:30-17:30  Unit 3: the Rule of Law and Judicial Reform
Moderators:     Prof. Xiong Qiuhong, CASS Law Institute
                        Prof. Simon Deakin Francis, University of Cambridge
Speaker 1:       Mr. He Xiaorong, member of the Adjudication Committee and President of the Administrative Division, the Supreme People’s Court
Topic:       To be confirmed
Speaker 2:       Prof. Ma Huaide, Vice President of China University of Political Science and Law
Topic:              Judicial Reform and the New Chinese Administrative Litigation Law
Speaker 3:       Prof. Benjamin L. Liebman, Director of Center for Chinese Legal Studies, Columbia Law School, USA
Topic:              How US courts build public confidence and recent innovations in access to justice in the US
Speaker 4:       Prof. Wang Minyuan, CASS Law Institute
Topic:              Judicial Reform and Exclusion of Illegal Evidence
Speaker 5:       Prof. Larry Backer, Pennsylvania State University
Topic:              Rule of Law, the Chinese Communist Party Basic Line, and Judicial Reform
Speaker 6:       Prof. Shi Pengpeng, China University of Political Science and Law
Topic:              Juridical Logic and Institutional Design of the System of Leniency to Those Who Plead Guilty and Accept Punishment

Comments and Discussion

17:40 Dinner

December 12 (Saturday)

9:00-10:40      Unit 4: Judicial System from the Perspective of Comparative Law
Moderators:     Prof. Liu Renwen, CASS Law Institute
                        Prof. Yoshiki Kurumisawa, Dean of Law School, Waseda University
Speaker 1:       Prof. Xiong Qiuhong, CASS Law Institute
Topic:              Judge’s Responsibility System in the Chinese Context
Speaker 2:       Prof. Kimmo Nuotio, Dean of Law Faculty, Helsinki University
Topic:              Building rule of law: the paradox of law
Speaker 3:       Prof. Tian He, CASS Law Institute
Topic:       To be confirmed
Speaker 4:       Prof. Alexandra Beth Carter, Columbia Law School, USA
Topic:              Mediation: Defining Characteristics and Mediator Qualifications" and the second "Mediation: Role of Attorneys and Enforceability of Agreements
Speaker 5:       Prof. Surya Deva, Associate Editor-in-Chief, Business and Human Rights Journal (CUP), School of Law, City University of Hong Kong
Topic:              The Role of Public Interest Litigation in Promoting the Rule of Law in China: Lessons from Indian Experiences
Speaker 6:       Mr. Piotr Grzebyk,      Assistant Professor, University of Warsaw, assistant of Justice in the Supreme Court
Topic:              Justifications of the right to strike: from the rule of force to the rule of law


10:40-10:50 Tea Break


10:50-12:30    Unit 5: the Rule of Law and Economic and Social Development
Moderators:     Prof. Liu Zuoxiang, CASS Law Institute
                        Prof. Simon Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Melbourne
Speaker 1:       Prof. Li Mingde, CASS Law Institute
Topic:              Judicial Reform and Intellectual Property Court
Speaker 2:       Prof. Danilo de Araujo, Sao Paulo Law School, Brazil
Topic:              The Brazilian Capital Markets Regulation Field (Capital Markets, Financial Markets, Securities, Markets
Speaker 3:       Ms. Beryl Philine ter Haar,     Assistant professor at the Amsterdam Law School, University of Amsterdam
Topic:              Compliance with fundamental social rights: an onion to peel
Speaker 4:       Mr. Neysun A. Mhboubi Researcher, University of Pennsylvania, Visiting scholar of Law School of Peking University
Topic:              Revision of the Administrative Litigation Law in China: from the Perspective of Comparative Law
Speaker 5:        Mr. Zhang Kangle, Doctor Candidate, Helsinki University
Topic:              When Public Participation Encounters Public/Private Dichotomy: A Legal Theoretical Approach to Rule of Law

Comments and Discussion

12:30-12:45 Closing Ceremony

Chairperson:    Prof. Xie Zengyi, Head of Research Administration and Foreign Affairs Department, CASS Law Institute
Speakers:
1. Prof. Yoshiki Kurumisawa, Dean of Law School, Waseda University
2. Prof. Kimmo Nuotio, Dean of Law Faculty, Helsinki University
3. Prof. Chen Su, Deputy Director, CASS Law Institute

12:45 Lunch

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