The Seminar on “Theory and Practice of the Construction of the Rule of Law in China in the Forty Years of Reform and Opening-up” was held at CASS Law Institute on December 24, 2018. The seminar was held to congratulate Professor Wang Jiafu, a CASS member and former director of CASS Law Institute, for being awarded the title of “Pioneer of Reform” by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, to pay respect to the older generation of jurists for the great contributions they have made to the construction of the rule of law in China during the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, and to explore major theoretical and practical issues relating to the construction of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics in a new era.

At the opening ceremony, presided over by Professor Chen Guoping, Secretary of Joint Party Committee of CASS Law Institute and CASS Institute of International Law, speeches were given by Professor Gao Xiang, Vice President of CASS, Mr. Hu Kangsheng, former chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Mr. Sun Qian, Vice Procurator General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Mr. Hu Yunteng, a second-grade chief justice at the Supreme People’s Court, and Professor Chen Su, Director of CASS Law Institute.

At the seminar, which was presided over by Professor Chen Su, keynote speeches were given by Mr. Jiang Ping, a lifetime professor at China University of Political Science and Law, Professor Liu Hainian, a former director of CASS Law Institute, Professor Wang Liming, Vice President of Renmin University of China, Professor Cui Jianyuan, a Professor of Tsinghua University and Vice Chairman of the Civil Law Research Committee of China Law Society, Mr. Li Fucheng, Deputy Head of the Research Department of the Ministry of Justice, Professor Wang Yi, Dean of the Law School of Renmin University of China, Professor Shen Weixing, Dean of the Law School of Tsinghua University, Professor Guo Li, Party Secretary of the Law School of Peking University, Professor Long Weiqiu, Dean of the Law School of Beihang University, Professor Cai Lidong, Dean of the Law School of Jilin University, Mr. Wen Lan, a senior professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, and Professor Wu Handong, Chairman of the Academic Committee of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. In the speeches, they summarized the great contributions made by Professor Wang Jiafu to the legal research and the construction of the rule of law in China, recalled their work relationship and friendship with Professor Wang, and called upon legal scholars in China to learn from Professor Wang’s example and devote themselves to the further development of the rule of law in China.

The seminar was attended by leaders of CASS, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Justice, experts and scholars from China University of Political Science and Law, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University, Jilin University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Southwest University of Political Science and Law and Central University of Finance and Economics, as well as over a dozen mass media in China, including People’s daily, Legal Daily, Guangming Daily, People’s Court Daily, People’s Procuratorate Daily, CASS News, Economic Information Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Tencent, and www.iol.org.cn.