Top officials, civil servants to be sworn in
China's top legislature on Wednesday passed the constitutional oath bill that requires top Chinese officials including the president and premier to swear by an oath before taking office.
The bill, which is set to take effect in January 2016, states that civil servants directly appointed by people's congresses as well as those who work in government, judicial and procuratorate organs will be required to swear by a constitutional oath before taking office.
This would include future Chinese presidents, vice presidents, premiers, vice premiers, chairmen and vice-chairmen of the National People's Congress (NPC), State councilors and ministers.
Han Xiaowu, deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the NPC, said on Wednesday that the bill marks an important move to promote the rule of law.
The bill provides a 70-character oath in which the official vows to be loyal to China's Constitution, uphold its authority, fulfill legal responsibilities, be loyal to the country and its people, receive public supervision and strive for a prosperous, democratic, civilized and harmonious country.
Experts said they noted several changes in the new bill compared with the previous draft, which said that officials should vow to uphold China's Constitution and strive for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
"Uphold" means "not to oppose" while "be loyal to" means that the Constitution to officials is not only a moral obligation but a legal one as well, which requires them to make sacrifices to uphold its authority, Wang Xu, a legal associate professor at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
Qin Qianhong, a legal professor at Wuhan University, added that the last part of the new oath, which describes the development goal, is more specific than previous ones to better guide civil servants.
In response to public concerns that the oath might be just for show, Han said that an oath in any country is a formality, but is significant in preserving the Constitution's authority and to encourage civil servants to abide by the Constitution.
China began to promote the rule of law that requires upholding the Constitution, according to a communiqué released at the end of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of Communist Party of China in October 2014
