Zhou Youyong: On the Worldview and Methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law
Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is the ideological banner for comprehensively governing the country according to law in the New Era. As a major theoretical achievement of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era within the realm of the rule of law, it contains a profound Marxist worldview and methodology regarding the legal order. The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) explicitly pointed out the need to "grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and adhere to and utilize the stances, viewpoints, and methods that run through it." It further dedicated a specific chapter and specialized deployments to adhering to the comprehensive governance of the country according to law and advancing the construction of a "Rule of Law China." On the new journey of the New Era, we must profoundly grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, adhering to the fundamental stance of centered on the people, the fundamental concept of "good law and good governance" [1], and a systemic and dialectical methodology of the rule of law.
Keywords: Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law; Stance of the people; Good law and good governance; Systemic dialectics
Marxist philosophy is the unity of a scientific worldview and methodology. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has consistently adhered to and creatively applied the Marxist worldview and methodology. In the great practice of understanding and implementing the construction of a Rule of Law China in the New Era—combined with the specific realities of China’s legal construction and the excellence of traditional Chinese legal culture—they have proposed a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies regarding the rule of law, forming Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. As the ideological banner for comprehensively governing the country according to law in the New Era, it constitutes a major theoretical achievement of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the legal field. It contains a profound Marxist worldview and methodology on the rule of law, providing a powerful ideological weapon for the Party to lead the people in understanding and transforming the "world of law." It represents a historic leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist legal theory. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC clearly stated: "Continually writing new chapters in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism is the solemn historical responsibility of contemporary Chinese Communists. To continue advancing theoretical innovation based on practice, we must first grasp the worldview and methodology of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and adhere to and apply the stances, viewpoints, and methods that run through it." The report also provided a dedicated chapter and specific deployments for adhering to comprehensively governing the country according to law and advancing the construction of a Rule of Law China, emphasizing that we "must better give play to the role of the rule of law in consolidating foundations, stabilizing expectations, and benefiting the long term, and comprehensively build a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law." These important expositions instill a powerful ideological and active force, providing a fundamental follow [2] for us to continue adhering to Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law as our guide on the new journey of the New Era. We must profoundly grasp its worldview and methodology, implementing these stances, viewpoints, and methods throughout the entire process and all aspects of the comprehensive governance of the country according to law, continuously opening new realms for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist legal theory.
I. Adhering to the People-Centered Fundamental Stance of the Rule of Law
The question of stance—namely, the question of "for whom and by whom"—is a fundamental starting point in philosophy and a primordial question that the construction of a Rule of Law China must answer. The report to the 20th National Congress clearly proposed that we "must persist in putting the people above all else," emphasizing that "the people-centered character is the essential attribute of Marxism," and that "we must sit firmly in the stance of the people, grasp the aspirations of the people, respect the creativity of the people, and pool the wisdom of the people." The stance of the people is the fundamental political stance of the CPC and a prominent mark distinguishing a Marxist party from other political parties; it embodies the Marxist historical materialist conception of history. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law consistently upholds this stance, explicitly proposing that the comprehensive governance of the country according to law must persist in the people's principal position and remain centered on the people. It profoundly argues that "the broadest and deepest foundation for comprehensively governing the country according to law is the people; we must persist in doing it for the people and relying on the people," and that "the fundamental purpose of advancing the comprehensive governance of the country according to law is to protect the rights and interests of the people according to law." This clearly answers the fundamental question of for whom and by whom the construction of a Rule of Law China is undertaken, profoundly elucidating the people-centered stance and attribute of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics.
First, adhering to the principal position of the people. Historical materialism consistently maintains that the masses of the people are the subjects of social practice and social history. The people are the creators of history and the fundamental driving force for social development; they are, of course, the subjects and the deep source of strength for the comprehensive governance of the country according to law. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law adheres to and applies the basic principles of Marxist historical materialism, profoundly explaining that governing the country according to law is the fundamental way the Party leads the people in governing the nation. We must persist in the people’s principal position, always treating the people as the subjects and source of strength, using the institutional system to ensure the people are the masters of the country, and developing whole-process people's democracy on the track of the rule of law. This is both a summary of the experience of China’s socialist legal construction and an inherent requirement for the comprehensive governance of the country according to law; it is a new achievement in the historical materialist understanding of the laws of social development. Since the people are the subjects of the rule of law, they are also the subjects for evaluating its effectiveness. As Xi Jinping pointed out, "the times are the paper-setter, we are the examinees, and the people are the markers" [3]. Every aspect of the Party’s work must take the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people as the highest standard. The interests of the people are above all else; the well-being of the people is the law. The law must reflect the will of the people and embody their well-being. Whether the principal position of the people is respected and whether the effects of legal construction are good must and can only be judged by the people. We must regard the people as the "markers" evaluating the effectiveness of the rule of law, taking the people’s level of identification, support, and satisfaction as key yardsticks, and incorporating the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security as important components for assessing the actual performance of leading cadres in advancing the rule of law.
Second, persisting in legal construction "for the people and by the people." This is a major question that the construction of a Rule of Law China must answer—a fundamental issue concerning the nature of the state, the party, and political power. Persisting in the rule of law for and by the people fully demonstrates the people-centered stance and attribute of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, which is the fundamental point of distinction from capitalist rule of law. Xi Jinping explicitly proposed that the people-centered development ideology must be integrated into every link of legislation, law enforcement, justice, and law observance, striving to let the masses feel fairness and justice in every legal system, every enforcement decision, and every judicial case. He emphasized the need to "implement the manifestation of the people's interests, the reflection of the people's aspirations, the protection of the people's rights, and the promotion of the people’s well-being into every field and the whole process of the comprehensive governance of the country according to law, so that the law and its implementation fully embody the will of the people." Furthermore, the comprehensive governance of the country according to law must rely closely on the people. Xi Jinping pointed out: "The rights and interests of the people must be protected by law, and the authority of the law must be maintained by the people." The degree of the people's participation determines the effectiveness of the development of the rule of law. We must continuously explore effective mechanisms to broaden the channels for the masses to participate, expanding their rights to know, participate, express, and supervise. We must fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the masses in the practice of the comprehensive governance of the country according to law, guaranteeing by law their broad, continuous, and in-depth participation in state and social governance through various channels and forms. By persisting in innovating the methods for people to participate in legislation, enforcement, justice, and observance, we respect their will, experience, and rights, stimulating the great creative power hidden among the masses to form a powerful synergy. This ensures that the comprehensive governance of the country according to law is deeply rooted in the creative practice of the people, making all citizens loyal admirers, conscious observers, and firm defenders of the socialist rule of law.
Third, persisting in the fundamental purpose of protecting the rights and interests of the people according to law. Persisting in the rule of law for and by the people ultimately manifests in the fundamental goal of benefiting and protecting the people. The foundation of the rule of law lies with the people, and "protecting the rights and interests of the people and earnestly respecting and guaranteeing human rights is the fundamental purpose of the rule of law." In a modern state, human rights and the rule of law are inseparable; human rights are the ultimate value pursuit of the rule of law, while the rule of law is the institutional system for guaranteeing human rights. China is a socialist country where the people are the masters; it has always respected and protected human rights, enshrining this as an unshakeable fundamental constitutional principle. For a long time, China has persisted in combining the universal principles of human rights with its own reality, successfully carving out a path of human rights development suited to its national conditions, thereby enriching the diversity of human civilization. We consistently regard the right to subsistence and the right to development as the primary basic human rights, striving to build a complete legal system for human rights protection. We aim to more effectively realize citizens' rights of the person, property rights, personality rights, and basic political rights, as well as their economic, cultural, and social rights and freedoms, promoting a continuous increase in the level of rights protection. As the construction of the rule of law advances, the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security has continuously strengthened, providing a powerful guarantee for the people to live and work in peace. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Under the leadership of the Party, we must continuously expand the orderly political participation of the people, strengthen the legal protection of human rights, and ensure that the people enjoy broad rights and freedoms according to law." To this end, we must strengthen the legal protection of human rights in an all-round way, striving to ensure that the constitutional clause "respecting and protecting human rights" is implemented in every link and throughout the process of legislation, enforcement, justice, and observance.
II. Adhering to the Fundamental Concept of Good Law and Good Governance
For a period of time, some individuals attempted to copy and transplant Western legal theories into China, using them as the standard for understanding and judging the reality of the Chinese rule of law. This practice was severely detached from China's history and reality and hindered the establishment of a Chinese worldview of the rule of law. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is rooted in the great practice of constructing a Rule of Law China in the New Era. It consciously stands on the Marxist stance of the people, deeply investigates the internal laws of the development of the rule of law in contemporary China, and clearly proposes that "the law is the great tool of governance, and good law is the prerequisite for good governance." It posits that "the Core Socialist Values must be integrated into it, making socialist rule of law a matter of good law and good governance," and that "we must firmly grasp social fairness and justice as the value pursuit of the rule of law." In the report to the 20th National Congress, Xi Jinping again emphasized that adhering to the comprehensive governance of the country according to law and advancing the construction of a Rule of Law China must "revolve around protecting and promoting social fairness and justice," "promote development with good laws and guarantee good governance," "comprehensively promote strict, standard, fair, and civilized law enforcement," and "accelerate the construction of a fair, efficient, and authoritative socialist judicial system, striving to let the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case." These important expositions profoundly elucidate the core essence, essential attributes, and fundamental values of socialist rule of law, clarifying the direction for the comprehensive governance of the country according to law and representing a major creative development of the Marxist worldview of the rule of law.
First, regarding the core essentials of the rule of law. Law is a heavy instrument of national governance, and good laws are the prerequisite for good governance. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law profoundly elucidates that the core essence of the modern rule of law is not only the "governance of rules"—the most important aspect of state governance—but more importantly, the substantive "governance of good laws," which is the organic integration of good laws and good governance. First, unlike the rule of man, the rule of law is the "governance of rules." Human society possesses two basic types of national governance models: the rule of man and the rule of law. The greatest advantage of the rule of law over the rule of man lies in the fact that it is a "governance of rules"; that is, it uses established objective rules, rather than relying solely on the subjective will, power, or authority of individuals, to regulate society, unite people's hearts, and govern the country. Xi Jinping incisively pointed out: "What is law? The most graphic description is that of a yardstick [N1]. Using the yardstick of law to lead, regulate, and guide social life—this is the rule of law." [17] "An important achievement in the development of modern political civilization is the rule of law, which is the use of law to regulate the behavior of various social subjects." [18] "The key to governing a country and a society is to establish rules, command respect for rules, and abide by rules; law is the most important rule for governing the country and managing state affairs." [19]
Second, the substance of the rule of law is governance according to "good laws." Merely having a "governance of rules" is insufficient; any formulated rules must also conform to human reason and embody the values of fairness and justice—attaining a unity of formal and substantive rule of law. Xi Jinping cited the Song Dynasty statesman Wang Anshi [N2], saying: "If good laws are established for the world, then the world will be governed; if good laws are established for a state, then that state will be governed." [20] Third, the essence of the rule of law lies not merely in establishing good laws, but also in seeking good governance. "Even if there are good laws and beautiful intentions, if they are executed by the wrong people, they will instead become a source of ruinous policy." [21] The life of the law lies in its implementation, and the authority of the law likewise lies in its implementation. "Establishing good laws" is a normative state (yingran); any well-formulated law must be put into practice through effective legal mechanisms and transformed into a factual state (shiran) of legal order and governance efficacy—namely, "good governance"—thereby realizing the organic integration of good laws and good governance. Deeply advancing the comprehensive law-based governance of the country means bringing socialist rule of law to the ideal state of "good laws and good governance."
Second, regarding the fundamental attributes of the rule of law. Throughout history and across the world, there has not been complete consensus on what constitutes a "good law"; however, the value-rationality of the law has always been the core element. Western jurisprudence often proceeds from an abstract human nature, taking certain so-called "universal values" as the standard for good laws. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, standing on the Marxist position of the people, emphasizes that good law must be a unity of the "people-centered nature," "scientific nature," and "justice-oriented nature." It creatively proposes and profoundly elaborates that the fundamental attributes of socialist rule of law are its people-centered and scientific natures, while justice is the concentrated expression of these two. Only laws that conform to objective laws and fully reflect the will of the people are good laws that accord with justice.
First, unlike one-sided Western "universal values," Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law persists in proceeding from the class nature of law and historical materialism, repeatedly emphasizing that "the broadest and deepest foundation for the comprehensive law-based governance of the country lies in the people" [22], and that "we must implement the embodiment of the people's interests, the reflection of their aspirations, the protection of their rights, and the improvement of their well-being throughout the entire process of law-based governance, ensuring the law and its implementation fully manifest the people's will." [23] This profoundly reveals that the "people-centered nature of the rule of law" is the most essential requirement and standard for good law. Second, unlike the abstract Western view of human nature, Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law persists in the principle of the material unity of the world, holding that law is determined by specific social and material conditions of life. It must be constrained by the material mode of production and objective social interest relations upon which it depends; its content must respect and reflect objective laws—that is, it must conform to a "scientific nature." Xi Jinping pointed out: "Practice is the foundation of law; law must develop along with the development of practice." [24] Only laws that conform to objective reality and respect objective laws can effectively protect and promote the actual social or interest relations upon which they depend.
Third, proceeding from the Marxist historical materialist perspective, Xi Jinping significantly noted: "Whether a social system is scientific or advanced is primarily measured by whether it suits the national conditions, whether it is effective and useful, and whether it receives the support of the people." [25] From this, he proposed three basic criteria for institutional choice: objectivity, practicality, and people-centeredness, revealing their internal unity. He emphasized: "The core of scientific legislation lies in respecting and reflecting objective laws; the core of democratic legislation lies in being for the people and relying on the people. We must improve the mechanisms for scientific and democratic legislation, innovate the methods for public participation in legislation, and extensively listen to opinions and suggestions from all sides." [26] Only by upholding the unity of the people-centered and scientific natures, proceeding from China’s reality in all things, going deep among the masses, and listening extensively to their opinions, can we formulate laws and regulations capable of solving China's problems, reflecting the laws of China's development, and satisfying the people's growing needs for a better life.
Third, regarding the fundamental value of the rule of law. "The key to governing a country lies in fairness and integrity." [27] Fairness and justice are the aspirations of the people, the lofty values pursued by our Party, and the fundamental value orientation of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "justice is the lifeline of the rule of law," and "promoting fairness and justice is the core value pursuit of political and legal work" [28]. He has profoundly discussed the rule of law value system focused on fairness and justice, requiring that the comprehensive law-based governance of the country must deeply implement this fundamental value pursuit. Modern society is an era of pluralistic values; among these, "justice is the sum of all virtues" is a core value goal characterized by its comprehensive, global, and supreme nature. Only when the pursuit of fairness and justice is fully realized can other values—such as democracy, harmony, freedom, equality, order, security, and efficiency—be better achieved, and the ultimate purpose of the rule of law in respecting and protecting human rights be finally realized.
As a value concept, fairness and justice do not remain merely in the realm of ideas; they must take legal principles as their carrier and be manifested through a series of basic rule of law principles. Xi Jinping explicitly proposed that in advancing the comprehensive law-based governance of the country, we must uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and the law, and persist in the principle that everyone is equal before the law. He emphasized that for leading officials to improve their rule of law thinking and their ability to act according to the law, the key is: "First, to abide by the law and emphasize procedure—this is the primary requirement of the rule of law. Second, to keep in mind the statutory nature of authority, understanding where power comes from and where its boundaries are drawn, ensuring that roles mandated by law are performed and roles not authorized by law are not undertaken." [29] These basic principles constitute the core, soul, and spirit of the rule of law; they are the concentrated expression of fairness and justice and the legal boundaries for the exercise of power. In comprehensively governing the country according to law, we must integrate this series of legal principles that maintain and promote social fairness and justice throughout the entire process. We must improve the legal protection system for social fairness and justice, reflecting the requirements of fairness and justice in all aspects and throughout the whole process of legislation, law enforcement, justice, and law-abidance. This builds a rigorous legal boundary for the exercise of power, thereby better protecting the rights of the people and ensuring that the power bestowed by the people serves the people.
III. Persisting in a Systematic and Dialectical Rule of Law Methodology
Marxist methodology is the fundamental ideological and work method for guiding people to correctly understand and transform the world, and it is a methodology unified with the Marxist worldview. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out: "We must persist in a systems-based approach" and "continuously improve our capacity for strategic thinking, historical thinking, dialectical thinking, systems thinking, innovative thinking, rule of law thinking, and bottom-line thinking, providing scientific ideological methods for forward-looking thinking, global planning, and the holistic advancement of all Party and state undertakings." [30] This is undoubtedly a brand-new "systematic dialectical methodology," which enriches and develops the basic methods of Marxism. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law consistently upholds this methodology. In the process of understanding and practicing the construction of a Law-based China, it highlights the need to persist in a systems-based approach, placing particular emphasis on the use of scientific methods such as strategic, systems, and dialectical thinking. This has innovated and expanded the Marxist rule of law methodology and holds foundational guiding significance for our profound understanding of the strategic status, work layout, dialectical relationships, and development direction of building a Law-based China.
First, emphasizing the use of strategic thinking. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law insists on grasping the comprehensive law-based governance of the country from a holistic, global, and long-term strategic height. It emphasizes that the rule of law is the basic way for the Party to govern the country, incorporating comprehensive law-based governance into the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout and coordinating the planning of rule of law construction throughout the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan." Xi Jinping pointed out: "Comprehensively advancing the law-based governance of the country is a long-term consideration aimed at realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and achieving the long-term peace and stability of the Party and the state." [31] "An important intention behind our proposal to comprehensively advance law-based governance and unswervingly practice the rule of law is to plan for the sake of future generations and long-term development." [32] "Comprehensively advancing law-based governance involves various fields such as reform, development, and stability; the governance of the Party, the state, and the military; and domestic affairs, foreign policy, and national defense. It must be planned holistically based on the overall and long-term perspective." [33] "In advancing comprehensive law-based governance, we must both base ourselves on the present, using rule of law thinking and methods to solve deep-seated problems facing economic and social development, and look toward the long term—laying the foundation of the rule of law, exercising its power, and accumulating its momentum—to promote various systems to become more mature and finalized, providing long-term institutional guarantees for the development of the Party and state's undertakings." [34] These important judgments, rooted in the overall and strategic height of the development of the Party and state's undertakings, profoundly elucidate the foundational and safeguarding roles of comprehensive law-based governance within the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" and the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout.
In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out: "Comprehensively governing the country according to law is a profound revolution in national governance, concerning the Party's governance and the country's rejuvenation, the people's happiness and well-being, and the long-term peace and stability of the Party and the state." He emphasized the need to "comprehensively promote the rule of law in all aspects of national work." [35] This requires us to base ourselves on a global and strategic height to coordinately advance rule of law construction in all fields of national governance, including the economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization. In the field of economic construction, the market economy is a rule-of-law economy; we must accelerate the construction of a rule-of-law economy, using law to regulate the boundaries between the government and the market, adjusting the interest relations of various market subjects according to law, and providing equal protection for the property and legitimate rights of all market subjects. In the field of political construction, we must persist in the organic unity of Party leadership, the people being masters of the country, and law-based governance, using the institutional system to guarantee that the people are masters of the country, ensuring they enjoy broad rights and freedoms according to law and manage various state affairs through various channels and forms in accordance with the law. In the field of cultural construction, we must integrate core values into every link of rule of law construction, promoting the development of socialist core values through the rule of law and placing greater emphasis on using legal means to solve prominent problems in the moral sphere. In the field of social construction, we must accelerate the construction of a law-based society, using the rule of law to guarantee and improve people's livelihoods and promoting the legalization of social governance. In the field of ecological civilization construction, we must use the strictest systems and the most rigorous rule of law to protect the ecological environment and solve prominent environmental problems. Furthermore, in implementing the holistic approach to national security, we must accelerate the construction of rule of law for national security and build a system of national security laws. To strengthen the construction of national defense and the military and follow the path of building a strong military, we must persist in governing the military according to law and strictly, deeply advancing the legalization of national defense and military construction. In advancing the cause of "One Country, Two Systems" and the peaceful reunification of the motherland, we must persist in governing Hong Kong and Macao according to law, use legal methods to defend the one-China principle, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence," and firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. In promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, we must strive to build a stable international legal order, coordinate both domestic and international rule of law, actively participate in global governance, and form a fair and reasonable system of international rules.
Second, focus on the application of systemic thinking. Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law persists in applying the methodology of systemic thinking: it is adept at both researching and deploying the comprehensive governance of the country as part of a larger system, while also conducting deep analysis of the comprehensive governance of the country itself as a system. It emphasizes that the comprehensive governance of the country is a systemic project that requires holistic planning, with greater attention paid to its systemic, holistic, and synergetic nature. In a game of chess, the first priority is the opening layout [8]. As a systemic project involving many facets of work, the comprehensive governance of the country must utilize systemic thinking, carry out holistic planning, and accurately grasp its operational layout. With the scientific blueprint of "focusing on joint advancement and exerting effort on integrated construction" [40], Xi Jinping has scientifically mapped out the operational layout for the comprehensive governance of the country, revealed the core significance of building a "Rule of Law China," and elucidated the relationships between various aspects within this layout, providing scientific guidance and effective methods for us to grasp the comprehensive governance of the country from a global and holistic perspective. Under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the "Plan for Building the Rule of Law in China (2020–2025)," the "Implementation Outline for Building a Government under the Rule of Law (2021–2025)," and the "Implementation Outline for Building a Society under the Rule of Law (2020–2025)" were formulated and implemented. These have clarified the roadmap, construction plan, and timetable for the construction of a Rule of Law China, a government under the rule of law, and a society under the rule of law from a holistic perspective, promoting the overall momentum and synergetic advancement of the comprehensive governance of the country.
To resolve the problems of fragmented governance and the shifting of responsibility in the construction of the rule of law, to enhance its systemic, holistic, and synergetic nature, and to continuously open new horizons for the construction of a Rule of Law China, Xi Jinping has also proposed a series of new assertions regarding "coordinated advancement" (统筹推进). For example: maintaining the Party’s core leadership role in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties; coordinately advancing work in various fields of the rule of law to ensure the Party’s propositions are implemented throughout the entire process and in all aspects of governing the country by law; coordinately advancing the construction of the rule of law alongside economic and social development; persisting in the coordinated advancement and integrated construction of the rule of law and institutional Party governance (including governance according to Party regulations); coordinately advancing the rule of law and the rule of virtue; coordinately advancing scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice, and universal law-abidingness; coordinately advancing institutional reform and institutional operation; coordinately advancing the two major tasks of development and security; coordinately considering and comprehensively utilizing two markets (international and domestic), two types of resources, and two sets of rules; coordinately advancing domestic rule of law and foreign-related rule of law; and coordinately advancing various reforms in the field of the rule of law, among others.
Third, focus on the application of dialectical thinking. In planning the layout of the comprehensive governance of the country, in addition to emphasizing a global perspective and grasping the whole, Xi Jinping also places great importance on seizing the key and identifying priorities, accurately grasping the primary contradiction and the primary aspect of contradictions [9]. This profoundly reflects a dialectical thinking that insists on the unity of holistic advancement and key breakthroughs. He incisively pointed out: "the rule of law for the country, the rule of law for the exercise of power, and the rule of law for administration (依法行政) constitute an organic whole; the key lies in the Party persisting in the rule of law for the exercise of power and governments at all levels persisting in the rule of law for administration" [41]. "A state under the rule of law, a government under the rule of law, and a society under the rule of law are complementary; the state under the rule of law is the goal of rule of law construction, the government under the rule of law is the priority for building a state under the rule of law, and a society under the rule of law is the foundation for constructing a state under the rule of law" [42]. This assertion profoundly demonstrates that to achieve the joint advancement of governing the country by law, exercising power by law, and administration by law, one must both consider the whole and deploy holistically in planning, and exert synergetic effort to form a combined force in advancement, while also grasping the priorities and firmly seizing the two keys of exercising power by law and administration by law. To persist in the integrated construction of a state, government, and society under the rule of law, one must strengthen holistic planning and synergetic advancement under the overarching goal and framework of a state under the rule of law, while taking the construction of a government under the rule of law as the main project and priority task to achieve the first breakthroughs. It can be seen that this assertion adheres to the Marxist materialist dialectic of the unity of the "two-point theory" and the "priority theory" [10]. It focuses on the goal to strengthen coordinated planning and top-level design, while focusing on key areas to lead and drive the development of the overall work through breakthroughs in major problems. This is a scientific conclusion reached through a profound summary of the uniqueness and regularities of socialist rule of law construction; it is an incisive assertion based on Chinese reality, summarizing Chinese experience, and answering the "China questions," further clarifying the forward direction for building a Rule of Law China in the New Era.
By persisting in and applying Marxist materialist dialectics, Xi Jinping has also profoundly elaborated on how the comprehensive governance of the country must correctly handle major dialectical relationships, such as those between politics and the rule of law, reform and the rule of law, the rule of law and the rule of virtue, and the rule of law and governance according to Party regulations. This provides a fundamental framework for the scientific understanding of the dialectical logic of the comprehensive governance of the country. To correctly handle the relationship between politics and the rule of law, socialist rule of law must persist in the leadership of the Party, and the leadership of the Party must also rely on socialist rule of law. The Party and the law, and the leadership of the Party and the rule of law, are highly unified; there is no such question as "which is greater, the Party or the law?" To correctly handle the relationship between reform and the rule of law, we must persist in advancing reform under the rule of law and improving the rule of law within reform, ensuring that reform and the rule of law are advanced simultaneously. We must persist in combining the rule of law and the rule of virtue, emphasizing both the normative role of the law (using the rule of law to embody moral concepts and strengthening the law’s promotion of morality) and the educational role of morality (using morality to nourish the spirit of the rule of law and strengthening morality’s support for the rule of law), thereby achieving a state where law and morality complement each other, and the rule of law and the rule of virtue enhance one another. We must persist in the organic unity of the rule of law and governance according to Party regulations. Governance according to Party regulations is the guarantee and guide for the rule of law, while the rule of law is the foundation and support for governance according to Party regulations. We must fully leverage the complementary roles of the rule of law and governance according to Party regulations, promoting the connection and coordination between intra-Party regulations and national laws, and driving the integrated implementation of the Party Constitution/regulations and the Constitution/laws. This ensures that governance according to Party regulations and the rule of law exert force in the same direction, making certain the Party governs the country and administers state affairs according to the Constitution and law, while managing and governing the Party strictly according to intra-Party regulations, effectively improving the Party's capacity and level of governing the country by law, exercising power by law, and governing the Party by regulations.
In summary, Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law persists in and applies the Marxist worldview and methodology regarding the rule of law. It creatively elucidates that the comprehensive governance of the country must adhere to the fundamental position of being people-centered, the fundamental concept of "good laws and good governance" (良法善治), and a systemic and dialectical methodology of the rule of law. It provides a fundamental framework and action guide for leading the deep advancement of the comprehensive governance of the country in the New Era. The creation of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is both a major integrated innovation of the theory of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and a brilliant example of promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist legal theory. In the great practice of comprehensively governing the country by law and promoting the construction of a Rule of Law China in the New Era, we must persist in Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law over the long term and continuously enrich and develop it.