Xi's speech rejects contradiction between CPC leadership, law

BEIJING - In a newly published speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping criticized questions about whether Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership or the rule of law should be overriding.

The speech, which was published in a book of the Chinese leader's selected remarks that hit bookstores this week, was delivered by Xi while he addressed a workshop in February.

"Comprehensively advancing the rule of law requires following the right direction with firm political assurance," Xi was quoted as saying at the workshop, which was attended by ministerial and provincial-level officials.

"As I have noted, whether the CPC's leadership or the country's law should have primacy is not really a question but a tricky political pitfall, and we must give a clear response to that without equivocation," Xi said.

Xi said that every individual Party organization and Party member must abide by the country's constitution and laws and must not take the Party's leadership as a privilege to violate them.

"The Party's say in certain matters is due to its political responsibilities and should not be regarded as the power to intervene out of personal interest," Xi said.

These comments came after doubts among some members of the public and academia about whether the CPC's leadership or the rule of law would outweigh the other if the two conflict.

Experts said that Xi's comment rejects the idea that CPC leadership and the rule of law are incompatible, adding that the statement is meant to urge Party members to respect the law.

The compilation focuses on Xi's remarks on the rule of law and is published by the Central Party Literature Press.

It contains 193 remarks by Xi selected from more than 30 speeches, articles and written instructions between Dec 4, 2012 and Feb 2, 2015.

Many of the quotes in the book have been published for the first time.