Communist Party elite give backing to Xi Jinping's drive for legal reforms
Sweeping changes to govern country by law endorsed at meeting amid silence over security tsar and signs that Beijing won't back down in HK
President Xi Jinping's call for sweeping reforms to govern the country by law was endorsed by Communist Party leaders as their key fourth plenary meeting drew to a close yesterday.
But the party remained silent on the fate of disgraced former security tsar Zhou Yongkang , who is under investigation for suspected graft.
A communiqué released after the meeting made no mention of him, but said reports on investigations against several of his former aides had been approved.
More than 360 full and alternate members of the party's Central Committee had spent the past four days at the military's Jingxi Hotel in Beijing for the plenum.
For the first time, the annual meeting was devoted to legal reforms, according to state media. The communiqué said that rule by law should be achieved under the leadership of the party.
"The leadership of the party is the basic requirement of socialist rule by law," it said. Upholding the constitution was a prerequisite for rule by law and the National People's Congress Standing Committee needed a strong mechanism to monitor violations, it said, adding that authorities would trace officials who interfered with legal proceedings and hold them accountable.
It called for an improvement of the party's leading role in forming legislation, greater protection for judicial officials to carry out their duties and better internal rules.
The statement gave no hint of the situation facing Zhou, who is at the centre of a large graft investigation extending across key sectors of the economy. Analysts said an announcement could come tomorrow, when the party's anti-graft watchdog holds its own plenum.
Nor was there word on an anticipated reshuffle of the powerful Central Military Commission. The silence on both issues raises questions on whether Xi faces hurdles inside the party on moving forward, although observers have said he has already established his power base through the massive anti-corruption drive.
The plenum instead formally approved reports on investigations of four of Zhou's ex-associates: former chief regulator of state-owned enterprises Jiang Jiemin, former China National Petroleum Corp deputy manager Wang Yongchun, ex-Sichuan deputy party chief Li Chuncheng and former deputy public security minister Li Dongsheng.
A report on investigations of former Guangzhou party chief Wan Qinliang was also approved, and Yang Jinshan, a former deputy commander of the PLA's Chengdu military area command, was sacked from the Central Committee for graft.
All six officials were expelled from the party.
Hongyi Lai, a Chinese studies professor at the University of Nottingham, said Xi wanted to repair the tainted image of cadres, officials and generals, in the hope it would win him the support of the public and veteran party leaders.
