Promoting rule of law needs CPC leadership: communique

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli attend the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, capital of China. The session was held here from Oct. 20 to 23. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) must be ensured amid the country's drive to advance the rule of law, said a key document here Thursday.

The 18th CPC Central Committee members discussed how to "comprehensively advance the rule of law" in socialist China at the fourth plenary session that ended on Thursday.

A communique issued after the four-day meeting laid down major tasks needed for comprehensively advancing the rule of law.

Tasks include improving the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, in which the Constitution is taken as the core, strengthening the implementation of the Constitution, and promoting administration by law, according to the communique.

The CPC Central Committee also highlighted the need to speed up the building of a law-abiding government, to ensure judicial justice, to improve the credibility of judicial system, to promote public awareness of law, to enhance the building of a law-based society, to improve team building and to sharpen the CPC's leadership in pushing forward rule of law.

The document said the drive to promote the rule of law needs the CPC's leadership while the CPC's rule depends on the rule of law. The Party should take the lead in all aspects of promoting the rule of law.

"Only if the CPC rules the country in line with the law, will people's rights as the master of the nation be realized and the state and social affairs be handled in line with law," the statement said.

The rule of law not only requires the CPC to rule the country in line with law but also to manage itself in line with Party rules and disciplines, it added.