Xi stresses vitality and order in rule of law

BEIJING, Jan. 8 -- President Xi Jinping has called for a greater role for the Communist Party of China (CPC) in guiding the country's political and legal affairs, urging a balance between "vitality and order."

Xi made the comments during a central political and legal work meeting held from Tuesday to Wednesday.

"The Party should lead legislation, ensure law enforcement and set an example in abiding by the law," Xi said, adding that political and legal work should be conducted with an aim to safeguard Party policies and the authority of the law.

According to Xi, ensuring social stability is the basic task of the country's political and legal work, and promoting social justice and equality its core value.

"People's demands for their lawful interests must be properly handled; policies with a crucial impact on protecting people's interests must be improved; The position of the law in solving conflicts should be strengthened," said Xi.

The president stressed that relations between stability and people's interests as well as those between vitality and order must be well managed.

Xi ordered officials in the political and legal system to "carry the sword of justice and scale of equality" and take pragmatic actions to safeguard social justice and equality while solving prominent issues that harm people's interests.

Xi insisted that power abuse, wrongful judgments, ordinary people unable to afford to go to court, and police not responding to emergencies should not be allowed to happen.

Officials in the political and legal system should take public concerns seriously, protect the people's life and property, and crack down on serious criminal offences to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment, Xi said.

All officials in the legal and political system should enforce laws impartially, promote transparency in their work, and be open to public supervision in order to eliminate judicial corruption, Xi noted, adding that any violations will be punished harshly.

"Officials at all levels are forbidden to overstep the limitations of laws, to abuse their power, or to bend the law for personal gain," Xi said.

He also urged the establishment of systems to record, report and hold officials responsible for any interference in the judicial process.