 Since the legal reforms of the late 1970s and 1980s , the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) has moved to embrace the language of the rule of law and establish a modern court system . In the process , it has enacted thousands of new laws and regulations , and begun training more legal professionals . The concept of " rule of law " was enshrined in the constitution , and the CCP embarked on campaigns to publicize the idea that citizens have protection under the law . At the same time , however , a fundamental contradiction exists in the implementation of rule of law wherein the CCP insists that its authority supersedes that of the law ; the constitution enshrines rule of law , but also emphasizes the principle of the " leadership of the Communist Party . " The judiciary is not independent , and is therefore subject to politicization and control by the Communist Party . This has produced a system that is often described as " rule by law , " rather than rule of law . 
