[Hague Journal on the Rule of Law] Decoding Xi Jinping’s vision for rule of law in China

The Hague Journal on the Rule of Law (HJRL), recently ranked 8th among law journals worldwide, has released a special issue dedicated to the question: ‘What is Xi Jinping thought on rule of law?’ The issue brings together nine articles examining how the Chinese Communist Party has reshaped the rule of law under Xi Jinping’s leadership. With six contributions published open access, the volume offers wide-ranging perspectives on a legal philosophy that is shaping China’s domestic and international order.

The articles in this issue highlight how the Chinese Communist party’s consolidation of power under Xi Jinping has redefined the relationship between law, politics, and ideology. Author Randall Peerenboom traces the shift from state socialist legality to party-state socialist rule of law, while Martin Lavička explores the contested notion of ‘rule of law with Chinese characteristics.’ Other contributions analyse the mechanisms of implementation, the rise of administrative reconsideration, and China’s evolving approach to constitutional review and foreign-related rule of law.

Party power

Several articles delve into how law is instrumentalised by the Chinese Communist party in practice. Author Holly Snape, for instance, unpacks the ‘logic of party law’ in a study of coercive discipline, while Susan Trevaskes and Delia Lin show how the concept of ‘society’ is embedded within party structures. Moreover, Samuli Seppänen offers a rhetorical analysis of ideological discourse in judging, shedding light on the impact of political compulsions on judicial reasoning.

In this special issue of The Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, the contributions offer a system that, in spite of persistent conflicts between individual rights and authority, as well as between international standards and domestic customs, also strengthens party leadership through the use of legal institutions. This special issue provides a much-needed and up-to-date template for the comparative law community pertaining to these complexities and their wider implications.

Growing influence

The publication of this issue coincides with a period of remarkable growth for the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law. The readership base and scholarly influence of the journal have steadily grown since 2009. Scoring 3.3, it was ranked 8th in the world in 2024 Journal Citation Reports. Editor-in-chief Ronald Janse attributes its success to emphasis placed on accessibility, quality, and relevance in which open access outputs play leading roles. In 2024, the journal published more than 24 open-access items, achieving a high download and engagement rate.

The journal’s particular attention to the rule of law in disciplines, time periods, and places is what sets it apart. This special issue also advanced the journal’s purpose of looking for critical, internationally relevant scholarship by placing Xi Jinping’s thoughts in broader legal and political frameworks. The open access articles in this issue make it possible for students, lawyers, lawmakers, and people who are interested in China’s transforming legal system to discover the information they need.

Read the full issue

About the journal

The Hague Journal of the Rule of Law is a global, peer-reviewed journal published by T.M.C. Asser Press in association with Springer. The publication focuses on scholarship about the rule of law, both new developments and more general debates, and history. The publication also features discussion of intersections of the rule of law with disciplines such as democratisation, human rights, and economic development. The pieces include a range of disciplines, such as law, political science, sociology, philosophy, and economics.

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[Interview] From startup to global top 10: The Hague Journal on the Rule of Law's rise to academic prominence
As the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law rose to number 8 among law journals worldwide in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports, we interviewed Ronald Janse, the journal’s editor-in-chief about this milestone. For Janse, the key to their success is clear: a focus on relevance, quality, and accessibility. What does this achievement mean for legal scholarship, for the importance of open access publishing, and for the ongoing effort to keep the rule of law alive. An interview. Read more.