International Law as the Law of Domestic Governance: China’s Propositions and Institutional Practice

Like domestic law, international law can be used in domestic governance, where it can become an important instrument assisting China’s Party and government to rule the country and manage state affairs. Incorporating part of international law into domestic law and comprehensively advancing the rule of law in accord with the principle of national sovereignty demonstrate the openness and international vision of China’s rule of law construction. Translating these propositions into concrete institutional practice will be of vital significance for improving the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, advancing the international rule of law and promoting world peace.     

Rule of Law Construction and Assessment at the Local Level

Going beyond the analytical model of the holistic state in rule of law discussion, we can classify the rule of law into national and local levels based on the stages and increments of its execution. The phenomenon of the local rule of law reflects the stages and incremental progress of building a rule of law China. It has a realistic foundation in society and a profound basis in legal theory. Comprehensively advancing the rule of law in China necessitates giving encouragement and support to construction of the rule of law at the local level. The attempts and experiments of local government enable us to explore and innovate the developmental model of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. The rule of law at the local level is embodied in three dimensions: “text—action—concept.” Assessment mechanisms and indicators for the local construction of the rule of law should also be established in accordance with this framework. The building of the rule of law at the local level should be synchronized with assessment of the rule of law. We need to optimize top-level design, conduct evaluations of local legislation, improve local rule of law work performance assessment and use a rule of law index to assess the local rule of law in an overall manner.     

The Chinese Expression of the International Rule of Law

The Chinese expression of the direction and progress of the international rule of law is an important part of showcasing China’s stand and ideas in international relations, and serves as a major interactive link between the Chinese rule of law and the international rule of law. The progress of the international rule of law rests on the active, full and effective expression of various countries including China, so that it can become more just and rational. In order to express itself explicitly and effectively, China needs to participate actively in the practices of international rule of law, in a bid to expand its horizon, enlist public support, and obtain opportunities.     

International Rule of Law and Methodological Innovation

The practice of the international rule of law needs a theoretical guide, and the formulation of the theory of international law has to depend upon practice, which imposes new requirement upon the methodology of international law. Traditional research into legal doctrine is unfavorable to the creative exertion of international jurisprudence, and the research methods of social sciences are playing an increasingly important role in the methodological innovation of international law. From the perspective of promotion of the international rule of law, the study of international law needs to deep research a State’s motives, cause and innate logic in observing international aw, and law and economics can show its capability in this field. For the international rule of law, basic research needs to be carried about such social surroundings as where the rules are produced and applied and exerting influences. The research method of the sociology of law exactly hits the point. The application of empirical and experimental research methods offers a beforehand “rehearsal” chance for the process of the rule of law to grasp the pros and cons in the planning and practice of the rule of law. The cooperation between the research methods of social science and the traditional research method of international law can reasonably interpret the phenomena of international relations and promote the international rule of law.     

The Rule of Law Model of Internet Governance*

The rule of law is the basic form of national governance and the rule of law model is the necessary direction for the governance of online society. Online society is in essence a new pattern of social relationships and structural forms comprising relationships among citizens, legal persons, organizational bodies, etc., formed and brought together on the basis of Internet technology; and also a reflection, expansion and expression, singly or in synthesis, of various relationships in the fields of the real economy, politics, culture, society and the environment. The rule of law model of Internet governance refers to governance theories, systems and practices that employ rule of law thinking and the rule of law model to bring the elements, structures, procedures and functions of Internet governance into the scope of the rule of law and its operational track. Reviewing the tortuous course of the development of rule of law Internet governance in China, summarizing useful experience in the construction of rule of law Internet governance, and reflecting on existing legislative, law enforcement and judicial dilemmas will enable us to build up a rule of law system of online governance with comprehensive norms, effective implementation, strict supervision and strong guarantees. This will be marked by Chinese characteristics and will ensure the application of rule of law thinking and the rule of law model in governing, operating, using and safeguarding the Internet, thus achieving sound and orderly Internet operation and development along the path of the rule of law and advancing the modernization of the Internet governance system and governance capability.     

法治运行的理性思考

文章以政治国家与市民社会二元化社会结构为切入点分析我国法治理论、实践应由强调法治的治国制度特性和管理、强制功能，向法治对公民个体权利的保护功能转变。通过权利主体由抽象转向具体，实现权利的物化，使法治得以实现全社会的普遍遵守。     

改革开放以来世界城市治理法治化的进程

"世界城市"诸多指标中,法治是核心要素之一。30年来,中国已走上法治道路,其中大城市的法治建设作了重要贡献。依据世界和中国经验,世界城市的法治化应走"强政府"大社会"的路子;应创建"法治型"政府,关键是做好人权保障和权力制约;应创建"服务型"政府,将"职责"置于"职权"的优先地位。北京作为"世界城市",未来仍应十分重视法治建设。     

The Contemporary Construction of Chinese International Law Discourse

当代中国国际法学的话语体系, —方面, 必须准确、系统、全面表达和传递国际 法基本原则、基本制度和本质特征以及国际法研究过程中逐步确立和发展起来的核心 价值、基本概念、关键术语、主流的理论或学说、具有代表性的观点等基本要素;另 —方面, 应充分、及时体现中国对国际法、国际法学和国际法学话语体系所作出的创 造性贡献。当代中国国际法学话语体系的构建应以 “构建和谐世界”为指导理念, 应 全面顾及国际法治和中国外交政策及其实践的国内、多边、区域和双边等四个基本层 面, 应遵行、符合或顺应国际关系和国际法的基本准则, 全球化与多边主义、区域— 体化与区域主义、国际共同体义务(或权利)和中国和平发展需要等原则、规律或趋势, 应将其基本功能定位为: 推动当代国际法的不断发展和广泛适用, 促进当代国际法的教学、研究和传播, 推进中国的法治进步, 维护中国利益、尤其是国家的核心利 益并提升中国作为负责任大国的国际形象与地位。

关键词: 中国国际法学话语体系 当代国际法 多边主义 区域主义 国际共同体义务

The contemporary construction of Chinese international law discourse, on the one hand, ought to precisely, systematically and completely express and communicate fundamental principles, main regimes and substantial features of international law as well as core values, basic conceptions, key terms, mainstream theories or doctrines and representative views gradually established and developed in the study of international law; on the other hand, it should fully and in a timely way manifest China’s creative contributions to international law and its discipline and discourse. The framework of contemporary Chinese international law discourse should take “building a harmonious world” as the guiding rationale; thoroughly cover the four basic dimensions of the international rule of law and Chinese foreign policy and its practice, namely domestic, multilateral, regional and bilateral; coincide with, follow and respect those rules, natural laws and tendencies such as fundamental rules governing international relations, globalization, multilateralism, regional integration and regionalism, the international community’s obligations (or rights) and China’s needs for peaceful development. It should orient its basic functions toward promoting the continuous development and wide application of contemporary international law as well as its teaching, study and dissemination, stimulating the progress of the rule of law in China, protecting Chinese interests, especially those core national interests, and strengthening China’s international image and status as a responsible big country.     

法制下法治与法治下法制

法制下法治和法治下法制是两种不同的社会存在。法制下法治之治理主体单一,法治下法制治理主体多元;法制下法治依赖国家法正义观支持,法治下法制依赖多维正义观支持;法制下法治以人为治理客体,法治下法制则以人和法律同为治理客体。在特定历史阶段,法制下法治曾经起过积极的作用;但是随着社会发展,民主勃兴和社会转型的逐步推进,法制下法治已经成为中国法制建设的瓶颈,应为法治下法制的理论和实践所突破。法治下法制是多元法律规则并存于社会与依法办事之法治原则的结晶。通过各种法规则的冲突、互动和整合,法治自然会从理想走向现实。     

试论培植当代中国法治文化的基点和路径

市场经济、民主政治和法治文化是实现法治的基础性条件。中外法治的实践充分表明,法治文化作为社会文化的重要组成部分,存在着不同的培植、生成模式。如何立足于我国国情、传统与民情,培育出既符合法治的共性,同时又具有中国特色的法治文化是建设中国特色社会主义法治的现实性课题。     

Transforming the Evaluation of the Rule of Law in China*

Over the past ten years, China has seen a number of practices exploring the evaluation of the rule of law. It is important that we sum up the practical experience of these evaluations, analyze the problems they encounter, determine their direction nationwide, and put forward constructive ideas. With the issuing of the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform and the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Promoting a Number of Major Issues of the Rule of Law, evaluation of the rule of law faces a transformation both in theory and in practice. The key points in this transformation are having the right orientation, innovative mechanisms and solutions to tricky issues of quantitative evaluation; summing up evaluation of experience; and elevating evaluation to the level of theory. A precondition for its effective evaluation is a scientific mechanism for evaluating the rule of law; in turn, the key to a scientific evaluation is solving the problems in quantitative evaluation of the rule of law; and the necessary requirements for evaluation practice are summing up evaluation experience and elevating it to the level of theory. The key to innovative mechanisms for evaluating the rule of law lies in implementation of the third party evaluation model and in quantitative evaluation that starts with particular programs.     

A Community of Shared Future for Mankind—The Contemporary Development of the Social Foundations Theory of International Law*

In the traditional understanding, the social basis of the emergence and existence of international law can be summed up as an international society in which interstate conflict and cooperation and interests and contradictions coexist. In recent years, the term “international community” has been widely used in national practice and academic discourse. Many scholars believe that the development of interstate relations indicates that the international community is being transformed into a global international community. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” reflects China’s new understanding of the social foundations of international law. It introduces Chinese traditional culture into global governance, develops Marxist theory on the community, is concerned both for mankind as a whole and for individuals, highlights the ultimate issues of the international community, and emphasizes the international community’s union of diversity and interdependence. The idea of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great significance for the theory and practice of international law; it reflects the emergence of methodological holism, the response of international law to the questioning of its legitimacy, and the trend toward hierarchical systematization in international law. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great value to China’s participation in the reform of the global governance system. It will help promote appreciation of the relations between China and the world, enhance China’s international discourse power and discourse force, and promote the rule of law in international relations that China advocates.     

法治概念属性释义

当前对法治的理解仍然比较混乱,有必要澄清。法治是个政治概念而不是个法律概念,它不同于执法和司法。法治其实就是依法治国;法治是与人治相对立的政治概念;法治不等同于法制;法治以民主为前提,并保障民主,民主是法治的灵魂。     

自由的两种含义及其对法治的意义

古典自由主义时期 ,自然自由和社会自由的分类已经被明确提出。自然自由是天赋的、与生俱来的自由 ,自然自由强调自由的平等性 ;社会自由是经过理性妥协和制度限制的自由 ,社会自由强调自由的权利性。从自然自由到社会自由就是使自由由价值形态转变为权利存在 ,这个进步在人类自由史上具有里程碑意义。明确自然自由和社会自由的不同含义 ,对于法治具有重要意义 :以价值形态的自然自由为出发点 ,以权利存在的社会自由为制度核心 ,能够造就法治传统 ;宪法是自由的宣言书 ,自然自由体现为价值预设 ,社会自由表现为权利安排 ;自由既是目的 ,又是手段 ,法律制度对自由的限制应具有正当性和适宜度     

多元权利基础、公权力权威与良法之治

推进中国法治进程 ,并不仅仅是法律制度的简单植入或法律体系的建构 ,也不仅仅是“依法治理”对秩序的促动 ,而关键在于重构国家与市民社会的良性互动关系。即大力推进市民社会自主性 ,以多元社会权利来平衡和制约国家权力 ,缩减国家权力职能和建立其合法性权威 ,并弘扬正义法精神以实现良法之治。只有这样 ,以权力制约和权利保障为核心取向的法治秩序才能最终确立起来。     

The Rule of Law Approach to Government Governance in China*

Chinese government governance involves the two dimensions of autonomy and co-governance. The process of moving from government management to government governance is a synchronous process of moving from government by a legal system to a “rule of law” government. Such governance coincides with the rule of law in terms of fundamental guarantees, governance frameworks, intrinsic values, external forms, goal pursuits and construction paths and lays the foundation for the realization of government governance. The multi-subject structure, multiplicity of rules and regulations, interaction of processes, diversity of modes and complexity of disputes in this form of governance place new demands on the construction of the rule of law. In response to these needs, we should improve the government’s functional orientation and the disposition of its powers by means of statute law; expand the types of administrative bodies and improve the laws on administrative organizations; enrich the sources of law; use consensus rules to improve controlling rules; be guided by interactivity in improving the administrative procedure system; normalize diversified administrative behavior; and establish multiple dispute resolution mechanisms and strengthen right relief. This will highlight the rule of law path taken by government governance. In the course of the integration and interaction of such governance with the rule of law, we will need to coordinate our responses to its latent risks, such as governance pitfalls and the limitations of the rule of law.     

秦朝法治失败原因的理性思考

秦朝法治失败的原因既有法治观念上的偏颇也有法治实践中的失误。而封建专制主义的恶性膨胀以及对儒家法文化的摈弃 ,从而未能构建适合中国封建社会实践需要的法文化模式 ,则是其文化根源。     

法治的实质:自由与秩序的动态平衡

人是自由的存在物 ,也是遵循规则的存在物。自由和秩序的需求源于人类本性 ,人的个体性彰显为自由 ,人的社会性体现为秩序。法治是法律运行良好的“法大于权”的生活方式 ,法治的核心价值是自由 ,法治的基础价值是秩序。法治的自由与秩序价值难以在静态中达到平衡 ,法治的实质是寻求自由与秩序的动态平衡     

How to Evaluate Government Performance while Building a Rule of Law Government in China*

Building a law-based government is a central element of the comprehensive framework for promoting the rule of law in China, while using evaluation to catalyze growth is in line with the incentive principle of management studies. Since China started to implement reform and opening up over thirty years ago, rule of law development and organizational evaluation have gone through several stages, each with different characteristics. Efforts to build a law-based government have met with success, but what the country now has is essentially still goal-oriented assessment. At present, this suffers from the lack of a clear goal orientation or definition of functions, an imperfect technical system and unsound motivation mechanisms, not to mention the practical problems of each government department going its own way, duplicating evaluations or being left rudderless. Drawing on a combination of value rationality and instrumental rationality and using government performance evaluation to promote the building of a law-based government not only conforms to the spirit of the rule of law and value rationality in government performance, but also strengthens the role of evaluation as an instrument for organizational management. Therefore, we need to create new evaluation theories, expand public participation, introducing diversified evaluating entities, improve technical systems, strengthen institutional buildup, and foster a performance-based culture. In addition, replacing goal-oriented assessment with performance evaluation will help the emergence of a new discipline—the performance evaluation of rule of law government, thus promoting multidisciplinary efforts to integrate and create new public administration theories in China.     

俄罗斯的市民社会诉求与"法治国家"定位

俄罗斯"法治国家"的理论路径是与俄罗斯社会结构转型进程相回应的,并以市民社会为其逻辑起点,即认为市民社会构成了法治国家的社会基础;市民社会的自由、权利和秩序诉求提供了法治国家的价值原则;公民法律意识是法治国家的重要条件和保证.这不仅反映了俄罗斯社会结构转型条件下的法治要求和特有关怀,也反映了俄罗斯国家控制能力衰弱和市民社会"畸变"背景下的法律秩序要求.文章指出,要推进法治,不仅要推进国家和市民社会二元化进程,更重要的是确立二者良性互动关系,而不可简单移植和照搬西方.