Successes and shortcomings of the 2015 amendments to the «Legislative law of the people’s Republic of China»

Abstract

In the spring of 2015, the law of the people’s Republic of China (the «law act») was substantially amended for the first time in 15 years since its adoption in 2000. Legislative law is Central to the existing socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and is of great importance for the establishment of a unified Chinese legislative system. The revised legislative act clearly defines the exclusive legislative powers of the highest organs of state power, ensures the participation of the population in the legislative process, improves the system of argumentation and evaluation of legislation, expands the scope of local legislative bodies, introduces restrictions on issues related to the regulation of departmental and local authorities, improves the mechanism of Legislative review and supervision, and strengthens the rules governing the judicial interpretation of the highest judicial bodies. This change cannot solve all the contradictions and problems in China’s current legislative system, and it also determines that it is still open to the future.