Law in Political Transitions: Lessons from East Asia and the Road Ahead for China
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The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a Commission hearing entitled "Law in Political Transitions: Lessons from East Asia and the Road Ahead for China," on Tuesday, July 26 from 1:00 to 2:30 in Room 419, of the Senate Dirksen Office Building.
China's legal system is developing, but meaningful reform of its authoritarian political system has not yet taken place. What role are law and legal institutions likely to play in China's political reform process? This hearing assessed the state of China's rule of law development and examined the role of legal institutions in political transitions in Taiwan and South Korea to see whether these experiences suggest a path ahead for China.
Senator Chuck Hagel, Chairman
Representative Jim Leach, Cochairman
Panel 1
Ms. Gretchen Birkle, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs, Department of State
Panel 2
Mr. Jerome Cohen, Professor of Law, New York University School of Law; Adjunct Senior Fellow on Asia, Council on Foreign Relations; Of Counsel, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Note: On August 15, the English-language version of the People's Daily published an adapted version of Professor Cohen's statement. For the People's Daily adaptation, click here. For a comparison of the two versions, click here.