First Observation | This signed article by the General Secretary focuses on the fundamental charter for governing the country and ensuring national stability.

　　General Secretary Xi Jinping published a signed article on the 19th. “Writing a New Chapter in the Practice of China’s Constitution in the New Era—Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Promulgation and Implementation of the Current Constitution” It was emphasized that we should take the 40th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the current Constitution as an opportunity to implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, strengthen constitutional awareness, promote the spirit of the Constitution, advance its implementation, and better leverage its vital role in governing the country and administering state affairs, thereby providing solid guarantees for fully building a modern socialist country and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

　　The article profoundly points out that the Constitution is the fundamental charter for governing the country and ensuring national stability, the essential legal basis for our Party’s governance, and the supreme legal norm governing the political and social life of the nation.

　　In December 2012, Xi Jinping, who had just been elected General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, attended the capital’s conference commemorating the 30th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the current Constitution and delivered an important speech, solemnly declaring his commitment to governing the country and exercising power in accordance with the Constitution.

　　Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our Party has attached great importance to advancing the rule of law in all respects, positioning, planning, and rigorously implementing the rule of law from the strategic perspective of ensuring the long-term stability and prosperity of the Party and the country. By integrating the comprehensive advancement of the rule of law into the “Four Comprehensives” strategic framework, we have planned and promoted this endeavor, thereby achieving historic accomplishments in the development of China’s constitutional system and the implementation of the Constitution.

　　He presided over a collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, issued important instructions on the eve of National Constitution Day, and signed a presidential pardon decree to implement the constitutional system of pardons… Over the past decade, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the Constitution’s pivotal role in governing the country and administering state affairs, consistently upholding and putting the Constitution into practice, thereby setting an exemplary standard for the entire nation.

　　“I swear: to be loyal to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, to uphold the authority of the Constitution, and to perform my statutory duties…” On March 17, 2018, after General Secretary Xi Jinping was unanimously elected President of the People’s Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress, he placed his hand on the Constitution and solemnly took the oath. This marked the first-ever constitutional oath-taking by a national leader in the history of the People’s Republic of China, becoming a landmark moment in the annals of China’s rule of law.

　　It was at this National People’s Congress that China’s current Constitution underwent its fifth amendment. This constitutional revision drew on the collective wisdom of the entire Party and the nation, consolidated consensus across all sectors of society, and reflected the common will of the Party and the people. It enshrined in the country’s fundamental law the major theoretical, practical, and institutional innovations achieved by the Party and the people in practice, earning the heartfelt support of the entire Party and all the ethnic groups throughout the country.

　　As noted in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important article, over the past decade of the new era, China has achieved significant progress in building its constitutional system and in overseeing the implementation of the Constitution; constitutional awareness across the Party and throughout society has markedly increased, and substantial achievements have been made in advancing socialist rule of law.

　　In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarizes the Party’s fresh experiences—gleaned from drawing on historical lessons, fully implementing the Constitution, and boldly advancing innovation in constitutional theory and practice—under the rubric of “seven musts”:

　　First, we must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China; second, we must ensure that the people are the masters of the country; third, we must govern the country and administer state affairs in accordance with the Constitution; fourth, we must safeguard the Constitution’s status as the fundamental law of the state; fifth, we must institutionalize and codify the systems for implementing and supervising the Constitution; sixth, we must uphold the authority and dignity of the Constitution; and seventh, we must advance the improvement and development of the Constitution in keeping with the times.

　　These “seven musts” constitute the scientific guide and fundamental principle for our continued, comprehensive implementation of the Constitution.

　　The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China laid out a comprehensive plan for the development of the Party and the country in the new era and on the new journey, emphasizing the need to give fuller play to the Constitution’s vital role in governing the country and administering state affairs, and to better leverage the rule of law as a safeguard that consolidates fundamentals, stabilizes expectations, and delivers long-term benefits, so as to advance the all-round building of a modern socialist country within the framework of the rule of law.

　　In the new era and on the new journey, how can we strengthen our constitutional awareness, enhance the implementation of the Constitution, and fulfill its mission? General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important article sets forth five clear requirements:

　　—— Uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over constitutional work, and further leverage the distinctive strengths and vital role of China’s constitutional system.

　　—— Integrate the implementation of the Constitution into every aspect and stage of governance, and continuously enhance the Party’s capacity to govern the country and administer state affairs in accordance with the Constitution.

　　—— Accelerate the improvement of the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, with the Constitution at its core, and continuously enhance the comprehensiveness, systematic nature, and coherence of the legal normative framework.

　　—— We will improve the institutional framework that ensures the full implementation of the Constitution and continuously raise the level of constitutional enforcement and oversight.

　　—— Strengthen research on constitutional theory and public education, continuously enhancing the persuasiveness and influence of China’s constitutional theory and practice.

　　China’s Constitution is inextricably linked to the arduous struggles and splendid achievements of the Party and the people, as well as to the path forward they have blazed and the invaluable experience they have accumulated. Fully implementing the Constitution and writing a new chapter in the practice of China’s Constitution in the new era means providing fundamental legal guarantees for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and for realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

　　Planning: Huo Xiaoguang

　　Lead Authors: Luo Sha, Qi Qi, Ren Qinqin

　　Coordinated by: Yang Weihan, Wang Xuan, and Shi Yongnan

　　Visuals | Editors: Zhang Shuning, Tang Xing

　　Produced by the Domestic Department of Xinhua News Agency

　　Produced by Xinhua News Agency Studio No. 1