"Legislation that advances with the times leads to good governance." The ancient wisdom of Chinese legalists from thousands of years ago still inspires today's people.
The line was excerpted from the Legalist classic "Han Feizi". Most articles of the book come from Han Fei, a noted thinker and representative of the Legalist School in the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC).
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has quoted the line to stress improving legislation so that law-based governance can cover new aspects of social and economic life.
New technologies, industries, forms of business and people's ways of working, interacting and living are constantly emerging, raising new issues for the legislation of civil laws, Xi said.
China regards law-based governance a strong guarantee for the country's path to modernization.
A modernized country is one under the rule of law.
According to China's long-term development outline adopted last year, China will by 2035 have in place an improved rule of law for the country, the government and society.