Rebecca Liao, writing in Foreign Affairs, reports on how China has proposed several legal reforms to provide "a stronger, more independent, and more professionalized judiciary," including separation of the courts from party interference and ensuring judges are chosen from the legal profession. The reforms are needed because, even though many mechanisms have been created for citizens to seek redress with the government, corruption also has exploded, Liao says. However, the legal reforms are not being undertaken to expand democracy in China, but to provide an outlet for democratic desires in the country without undermining party control, Lia reports: "Unable to champion true judicial independence, the ruling party’s solution is to make sure that the courts are hyper-competent and have enough structural integrity to carry out the law. China’s legal reforms are really an expansion of the state to include an organ more responsive to the people but still sheltered from the destabilizing forces of democracy."
Lawyer and Legal Journalist
