Xi Jinping Pushes Legal Overhaul That Would Bolster State Power
One prominent legal scholar, Liang Huixing of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, has raised the possibility of revolution if China were to guarantee expansive personal freedoms like property rights
and free speech in the civil code, as some lawmakers and scholars have suggested.
By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ and OWEN GUOMARCH 15, 2017
BEIJING — For six decades, Chinese leaders have tried to put in place a sweeping civil code to explain the law on
some of China’s most contentious issues, including property rights, migrant workers, defamation and divorce.
The new rules might also touch on the need to conserve resources, Mr. Zhou said, helping resolve
issues like the excess use of packaging in popular holiday gifts like moon cakes.
"But what we have seen is that even with the passing of the property law, forced demolition cases still abound,
and many such violations have taken place in the name of the state." The Chinese government has used the civil code to promote the image of China to the world.
But to succeed, Mr. Xi and lawmakers will need to overcome significant ideological divisions
within the party, especially on heated issues like how to handle land disputes.
Jerome said that Even while engaging in terrific repression in some respects, there is a desire to show continuing legal progress,