Liu Yanhong: Deeply Grasping and Promoting the Construction of "Peace Within the Rule of Law"
Building a higher-level Peaceful China [1] is a major strategic deployment made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on the overall situation of the development of the Party and the country's undertakings. It serves as an important guarantee for coordinating development and security and advancing Chinese-path modernization. When presiding over the 19th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Holistic security is comprehensive, integral, and systemic security; peace is peace in development, dynamic peace, open peace, and peace within the rule of law." This important thesis profoundly elucidates the theoretical connotation, temporal characteristics, and implementation path of the construction of a Peaceful China, marking a new height in our Party's understanding of security issues and the laws of social governance. At present, the world's [changes unseen in a century] [2] are accelerating, with domestic and international risk factors intertwining and overlapping. We must deeply study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and the holistic approach to national security, accurately grasp the directional principles, theoretical connotations, and practical requirements of constructing a Peaceful China in the New Era, and build a higher-level Peaceful China. We must use the certainty and stability of the rule of law to effectively offset the uncertainty and complexity of risks, and while safeguarding our own security, make new and important contributions to world peace and stability.
The Rich Connotation of "Peace within the Rule of Law"
The important thesis that "peace is peace within the rule of law" profoundly reveals the essential connection between the rule of law and security, points out the core path for ensuring long-term peace and stability through the rule of law and coordinating development and security, and clarifies an important focus for building a higher-level Peaceful China.
"Peace within the rule of law" is first manifested as the peace and security of the rule of law itself. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Adhering to the comprehensive rule of law is a prominent advantage of the socialist state system and state governance system with Chinese characteristics." From relying on the rule of law to restore social order in the early days of New China, to using the rule of law to guarantee economic development and social stability after Reform and Opening-up, to incorporating the comprehensive rule of law into the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout in the New Era, the construction of the rule of law in our country has been consistent and continuously deepening. With the introduction and practice of the holistic approach to national security, the connotation of "peace" (ping'an) has transcended the traditional scope of public security and expanded to multiple fields such as economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization, forming a "Greater Peace" (da ping'an) pattern. By clearly defining rights and obligations, regulating the exercise of public power, and providing stable expectations and authoritative dispute resolution mechanisms, the rule of law establishes the fundamental rules for social operation. Deeply integrating the coordination of development and security into the process of the rule of law, using rule-of-law thinking to plan development and prevent or defuse risks and challenges, can solidify the institutional foundation for the country's long-term peace and stability.
"Peace within the rule of law" necessarily relies on the peace and security of the system. Constructing a higher-level Peaceful China is a systemic project. We must adhere to the close integration of systemic governance and governance according to law, and advance security governance in various fields in a coordinated manner under a unified legal framework. In recent years, centering on maintaining national security and social stability and responding to the requirements of the times, criminal legislation has been continuously improved in key areas such as production safety and financial security. This has effectively promoted the transformation and upgrading of the security governance model from passive post-event handling to systematic prevention and control—characterized by effective pre-event prevention, precise mid-event control, and solemn post-event punishment. On the basis of a continuously improving legal system, the formulation and application of criminal judicial interpretations have further clarified the conditions and standards for applying "strictness according to law" and "leniency according to law," achieving a dialectical unity between punishing crime and preventing crime, as well as safeguarding human rights.
"Peace within the rule of law" is firmly built upon the peace and security of order. The rule of law holds the important function of stabilizing expectations; social order can only be continuously consolidated when it is established on the basis of clear and stable rules. The formation of stable expectations first requires that the law itself possess stability and authority. Laws should not be easily changed due to individual circumstances or temporary needs, providing a stable and reliable code of conduct and a foundation of trust for society. At the same time, the exercise of public power must strictly abide by statutory authority and procedures to ensure that the processes of administrative law enforcement and judicial adjudication are open, transparent, unified in standards, and predictable in results, thereby continuously accumulating and strengthening the entire society's trust in and compliance with legal authority. At the level of "settling disputes and ending grievances" (dingfen zhizheng) [3], the rule of law provides a standardized and authoritative core path. Through the repeated and fair application of legal rules, a universal consensus and conscious action of "acting according to the law, finding the law when encountering matters, using the law to solve problems, and relying on the law to resolve contradictions" is subtly cultivated throughout society, laying a deep social rule-based foundation for the country's long-term peace and stability.
"Peace within the rule of law" is ultimately manifested as the peace and security of resilience. "Peace within the rule of law" is the result of the combined action of the rigid authority of the rule of law and the flexible edification of the rule of virtue. The rigidity of the rule of law is reflected in drawing clear bottom lines for behavior; by severely cracking down on serious crimes that endanger national security and social order according to law, a strong deterrence is formed, and a rule-of-law defense line for peace is fortified. However, the lasting stability of peace cannot rely on punishment alone. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must adhere to the combination of the rule of law and the rule of virtue." This requires integrating core socialist values into the construction of a Peaceful China, specifically reflected in: increasing the legal faith of all people through in-depth law popularization; adhering to and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" [4] in the New Era, pushing the resolution of contradictions and disputes to the frontline, and constructing a new pattern of grassroots social governance; and improving systems such as "leniency for those who confess and accept punishment" (renzui ranfa congkuan) in justice to achieve the combination of punishment, education, and redemption. Through the deep integration of the rule of law and the rule of virtue, a rational, peaceful, and upward-striving social atmosphere is cultivated, shaping a social resilience that can resist complex risks and achieve dynamic balance. This is precisely the high-level governance realm pointed to by "peace within the rule of law."
The Theoretical Contribution of "Peace within the Rule of Law"
The important thesis of "peace within the rule of law" is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and a specific manifestation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the field of state governance, possessing distinct value of the times and significance for theoretical innovation. Against the backdrop of the accelerating world changes unseen in a century and the intertwining of domestic and international risks and challenges, taking the holistic approach to national security as the guide and systematically introducing rule-of-law principles into the overall layout of constructing a higher-level Peaceful China systematically answers the major epochal question of how to ensure long-term peace and stability and coordinate development and security through the rule of law in the New Era.
It develops the rule-of-law theory of Marxist social contradiction governance. "Peace within the rule of law" is essentially about using the rule of law to resolve social contradictions and prevent systemic risks, promoting the shift of social order from the traditional "maintaining stability" (weiwen) paradigm toward source governance and preventive governance. At the theoretical level, this important thesis organically incorporates social contradiction governance into the holistic vision of state governance modernization and the holistic approach to national security, enriching and developing the rule-of-law theory of Marxist social contradiction governance. At the practical level, "peace within the rule of law" requires that all types of risks and challenges be responded to uniformly within rule-of-law procedures, laying a solid foundation of rules for the "Governance of China."
It reshapes the value orientation of criminal justice in maintaining fairness and justice. Under the framework of "peace within the rule of law," criminal justice is no longer aimed solely at punishing crime; rather, while regulating social order, it emphasizes repairing social relations and building governance consensus. Through the synergistic operation of rigid constraints and flexible guidance, it achieves the overall maintenance of social fairness and justice. At the level of institutional operation, rigid constraints are mainly reflected in severely cracking down on criminal acts that seriously endanger social security and public order according to law, clarifying legal bottom lines and defending basic order. By implementing the criminal policy of "combining leniency with severity" (kuan-yan xiangji), a balance between necessary intensity and reasonable limits is maintained in punishing crime. Institutional arrangements such as "leniency for those who confess and accept punishment" are important manifestations of introducing systemic governance concepts into criminal justice, aiming to achieve the organic integration of the crime-punishment function with the education-reformation function, enhancing the public credibility and social acceptability of adjudication results. While strengthening rigid constraints, the complementary flexible forces are integrated into the operation of criminal justice through channels such as law popularization education, grassroots mediation, and judicial aid, promoting the resolution of contradictions and disputes at the front end, reducing social antagonism, and enabling criminal justice to better play its role as a pillar of the security system in the construction of a higher-level Peaceful China.
It promotes the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security. The core of "peace within the rule of law" lies in maintaining long-term social stability by continuously accumulating rule-of-law credibility, providing a reliable institutional environment for high-quality development. Rule-of-law credibility stems first from the stability and authority of the law itself. Deeper credibility comes from the strict operation of public power according to law; by ensuring that the processes of law enforcement and justice are open, transparent, unified in standards, and predictable in results, social trust is continuously accumulated. The social order supported by stable rules and rule-of-law credibility is the key foundation for achieving the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security. In practice, we must adhere to the principle that "one who manages development must also manage security," incorporating security development requirements throughout all fields of economic and social development. Through rule-of-law methods, we resolve risks in economic, financial, and social stability, strengthen the deterrent effect of punishing illegal crimes according to law, and fortify institutional barriers for risk prevention at the source. This forms a governance pattern on the track of the rule of law where development and security support each other and maintain a dynamic balance, providing a solid guarantee for the sustained and healthy development of the economy and society.
It realizes the creative transformation and innovative development of the governance wisdom of the Chinese legal system. "Peace within the rule of law" takes the combination of the rigid authority of the rule of law and the flexible edification of the rule of virtue as its basic orientation. Through the synergistic effect of normative constraints and value guidance, it cultivates a rational, peaceful, and upward-striving social order, which centrally embodies the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese governance wisdom. The deep integration of traditional "harmony" (he) culture with modern state governance concepts and the leading role of socialist core values provide a clear value coordinate for integrating excellent traditional Chinese culture into modern rule-of-law practice. From the perspective of governance practice, "peace within the rule of law," on the basis of absorbing the essence of traditional people-oriented thought (minben) and "harmony" culture, transforms them into governance arrangements with institutional binding force. Whole-process people's democracy adheres to the people's standpoint, continuing and developing governance traditions such as "the world belongs to the public" (tianxia wei gong) and "the people as the foundation." The concepts of coordinated symbiosis and tolerance of differences inherent in "harmony" culture are also vividly applied in consolidating the sense of community for the Chinese nation and maintaining social harmony and stability, achieving the organic integration of the governance wisdom of the Chinese legal system with the spirit of the modern rule of law.
The Implementation Path of "Peace within the Rule of Law"
The rule of law is the fundamental guarantee for the construction of a higher-level Peaceful China. As the comprehensive rule of law is deeply advanced, the governance-enabling effect of the rule of law on the construction of a Peaceful China continues to manifest; an institutionalized and legalized peace pattern has been formed and is demonstrating powerful efficacy.
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026–2030) is a crucial period for laying a solid foundation and making overall efforts to basically realize socialist modernization. Standing at a new historical starting point, we must embed the construction of a higher-level Peaceful China more deeply into the process of the comprehensive rule of law. We must focus on key links such as legislation, law enforcement, justice, and law observance, planning and advancing them systematically to continuously transform institutional advantages into governance efficacy, providing a more solid rule-of-law guarantee for the country's long-term peace and stability.
Focus on risk prevention and control, and fortify the security barrier through scientific legislation. A complete system of legal norms is the prerequisite for the operation of "peace within the rule of law." We must adhere to the guidance of the holistic approach to national security and push forward the improvement of the national security legal system as a foundational project. Currently, China has basically formed a legal framework covering multiple security fields, but we still need to continue working on moving "from existence to excellence, from form to substance" regarding the connection of legal hierarchies, institutional coherence, and the supply of legislation in non-traditional security fields. In the legislative layout, we should give full play to the leading role of the National Security Law and coordinate the promotion of specialized legislation in key areas such as counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, biosecurity, data security, and financial security, systematically incorporating multi-dimensional security elements—political, economic, cultural, and social security—into the rule-of-law protection system. By strengthening the "formulation, revision, abolition, and interpretation" (li gai fei shi) of laws and legislative assessment, we will form a clearly defined and well-connected network of legal norms. In dealing with new types of risks, we must keep pace with technological development, conduct forward-looking research on security challenges that may accompany the development of emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, and the metaverse, and speed up the supply of institutions with clear security orientations and rule structures. We must close the gap in non-traditional security legislation so that new business formats and technologies operate on the track of the rule of law. We should pay attention to the synergy between central and local legislation, encouraging local authorities to carry out exploratory and implementation-oriented legislation consistent with local risk characteristics under the principle of the unity of the rule of law, forming a legislative force that links up and down and covers key areas.
Improve governance efficiency and defend the authority of the rule of law through strict law enforcement. Advancing...
For "Peace in the Rule of Law" to achieve practical efficacy, one must place strict, standardized, fair, and nuanced law enforcement at the core of the national security legal implementation system, promoting the comprehensive implementation of national security laws across all fields and levels. Regarding law enforcement philosophy, there must be a transition from focusing primarily on traditional public security sectors to comprehensive law enforcement that covers both traditional and non-traditional security. This involves both cracking down on prominent illegalities and crimes—such as violent crime, organized crime and gangs [5], and mass-economic crimes [6]—to maintain a high-pressure deterrent, while simultaneously strengthening governance in accordance with the law in non-traditional security fields such as finance, cyberspace, data, and ecology to prevent the accumulation of risk from evolving into systemic risk. Regarding law enforcement mechanisms, the principles of procedural rule of law and the statutory delegation of powers and responsibilities must be strictly observed. By refining enforcement procedures, detailing discretionary standards, and perfecting the enforcement supervision system, the credibility of the rule of law is accumulated through an enforcement process that is transparent, standardized, and predictable. On this basis, the focus of risk governance should be moved upstream, improving and implementing mechanisms such as social stability risk assessments for major decisions and security monitoring and early warnings in key sectors, thereby neutralizing risks in their nascent state [7].
Protecting the baseline of fairness and consolidating the foundation of trust through judicial justice. Justice is the deepest socio-psychological foundation of "Peace in the Rule of Law." The finality of judicial power in resolving disputes, providing remedies for rights, and confirming rules determines its foundational status in resolving social contradictions and preventing the spillover of risks. We must continue to deepen the reform of the judicial system, ensuring that judicial power operates within the track of the rule of law and transforming institutional security requirements into an identification with order at the social level. Adhering to the trial-centered approach, we should optimize the systems and mechanisms where investigation, prosecution, trial, and execution each perform their respective duties while coordinating and constraining one another [8]. We must strictly implement rules of evidence-based adjudication and perfect litigation procedures, ensuring that the trial of every case can withstand the test of the law and history, thereby enhancing judicial acceptability and social recognition through the fairness of adjudications. Efforts must be focused on resolving "stubborn maladies" [9]—such as the "difficulty of enforcement"—that affect the finality of the judiciary, ensuring that effective legal documents are executed in a timely and efficient manner. We must strengthen the legal supervision functions of the procuratorate [10] and strictly implement systems such as the "Three Regulations" [11] to prevent interference in judicial matters, placing the entire process of judicial power under close supervision. This will build a judicial power operation system with clear authority and responsibility, rigorous procedures, and effective constraints, allowing the masses to feel fairness and justice in every law enforcement decision and every judicial case.
Cultivating a belief in the rule of law and nourishing the ethos of rule of law through universal law-abidance. Universal law-abidance is the broadest and deepest social foundation for "Peace in the Rule of Law." The foundation of the rule of law lies with the people. We must focus on cultivating a social trend of respecting, learning, observing, and using the law. By persisting in the combination of the rule of law and the rule of virtue, and integrating Core Socialist Values into the practice of the rule of law, we can—through the guidance of typical cases, the inheritance of fine family traditions, and the construction of community norms—allow the spirit of the rule of law, the spirit of contract, and rule-consciousness to imperceptibly become the conscious behavior of citizens. We must construct a modern public legal service system that is universally beneficial, equitable, convenient, and efficient, pushing high-quality legal service resources toward the grassroots. This provides the masses with support such as legal consultation, dispute mediation, and legal aid, guiding them to develop the habit of acting according to the law, protecting their rights according to the law, and resolving disputes according to the law, thereby preventing and reducing social contradictions at their source. Adapting to the trends of digital development, we must innovate methods of popularizing the law and means of transmission, utilizing new media platforms to carry out precise and interactive legal publicity and education. This will enhance the coverage and influence of legal popularization, promoting the formation of a healthy political ecosystem where people act according to the law, seek out the law when difficulties arise, use the law to solve problems, and rely on the law to resolve contradictions. This ensures that the construction of a higher-level Peaceful China is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of a rule-of-law society.
(The author is Vice President of the China University of Political Science and Law) Source: People's Daily (March 9, 2026) Editor: Huihui