Reflections on the Rule of Law in China

在中國,傳統的法律改革途徑是透過強調對於司法的需求,來達到一定的專業水平與司法自治,進而使法律成為有效的論證。本文認為,發展司法部門的力量來處理政治衝突,而非法律問題,可能對於中國的法律與政治發展同等重要。本文承認中共法律監督制度合法性;但是必須進一步討論的是,當面臨重大社會衝突時,無所不在的 政黨,往往會透過各種非法律的方法來解決問題,使每造當事人都享有利益。本文將以美國與日本為例,闡明中國法院可能扮演的角色。

The conventional approach to legal reform in China is to stress the need for the judiciary to attain the professional competence and institutional autonomy to enforce legal doctrine. This essay argues that developing judicial capacity to handle political, as opposed to legal, conflict may be equally important to Chinese legal and political development. The article acknowledges the legitimacy of CCP oversight of the legal system but argues that the very omnipresence of the Party means that it is usually on all sides in instances of major social conflict. The article draws on examples from the United States and Japan to illustrate this possible role of Chinese courts.