CPC is authorized to lead the nation and strengthen the rule of law, hence there is no contradiction between them

The resolution passed by the Fourth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China last week makes it clear that the aim of strengthening the rule of law is to establish socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics in the country, develop a sound system of laws and regulations, build an efficient law enforcement system, and set up a forceful monitoring and supervision mechanism.

While mapping out such an explicit goal, the resolution stressed the principle of adhering to the leadership of the CPC. This has been misinterpreted by some Western media outlets as the failure to resolve the problem of whether the Party or the Constitution is supreme. Such misinterpretation stems from their lack of knowledge about China's real conditions.

To realize the general target of establishing socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, the country must stick to the Party's leadership and chart its course in establishing a society characterized by good governance.

The plenum has not only mapped out the paths to achieving the goal of establishing socialist rule of law, but also made clear the relationship between the Party's leadership and the rule of law.

Primarily, rule of law means governance according to the Constitution. To respect the Constitution and implement it in letter and sprit is to lay the foundation of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.

The resolution reiterates that good laws are a precondition for good governance. To ensure this, all laws, regulations and administrative documents have to undergo constitutional review. In fact, the resolution clearly states that all administrative documents will be put under scrutiny and those contradicting the Constitution will be revoked or corrected.

By misinterpreting the plenum's resolution as placing the Party above the Constitution, Western media outlets have only exposed their ignorance of socialism with Chinese characteristics.