A solid step toward rule of law

China's first Constitution Day, which falls on Thursday, is more than a just another official ceremony as the country celebrates its development as a nation working toward the realization of the rule of law.

Although there will be ceremonial arrangements, the day presents an opportunity to educate society about the Constitution.

Students across the country will study the Constitution on Thursday morning and events will be organized to acknowledge Dec 4, 1982, the day the current Constitution was adopted.

For any country committed to the rule of law, a constitution is a necessary foundation to govern the country in line with law.

However, this ideology has not been easily adopted in China and the full implementation of the Constitution has a long way to go, under the lingering shadow of the "rule of man".

In China's imperial past, it was the emperor rather than the law that was the absolute power.

Even after the republic was founded, there were teething issues related to the governing of the country in line with law. The legal and judicial systems were so completely abandoned in the notorious 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution that legitimate rights of countless people including former state president were trampled seriously.

Lessons have been learned and the rule of law has been gradually restored in the reform and opening-up drive since the late 1970s. Then came the 1982 Constitution and the legislation boom of the past three decades.

Still, problems and challenges remain. Effective mechanisms to supervise implementation and punishment have yet to be firmly established.

More importantly, the general public and officials' awareness of the Constitution is not fully in place.

Some officials, including those from law enforcement agencies and judicial departments, have abused their power, infringing on citizens' rights.

They still believe themselves to be above the law, resulting in decision making and policies that jar with the Constitution and laws, not to mention corruption.

This had led to degrading public confidence in law. Around seven to eight million petitions are filed with Chinese government authorities each year, indicating that some of the public do trust power over law.

The country's leadership is fully aware of these problems. The Communist Party of China (CPC) arranged a plenary session of the central committee, its leadership body, to discuss the rule of law in October.

At the session, it was decided Constitution Day would fall on Dec 4. This decision was later ratified by the top legislature. In addition, all elected or appointed officials are now required to take a public oath of allegiance to the Constitution.

In the legal reform blueprint adopted at the same session, the CPC vowed to enforce implementation through a constitutional supervision system under the National People's Congress and to improve efforts to interpret the Constitution.

These efforts underline the authority of the Constitution, which are not only in response to historical lessons and the current reality but also development goals, summed up by President Xi Jinping as the "Chinese dream".

China have been working toward establishing a "modern nation" since the 19th century. Besides economic restructuring and opening, the country is investing in modernizing governance, in which the rule of law takes center stage.

Constitution Day will send out the signal that China is committed to the rule of law. Through comprehensive efforts from awareness campaigns to judicial reform, the country will move closer to the rule of law with the Constitution rooted deeply in everyday life of all residents.