CECC Chairman Senator Chuck Hagel's Statement on CECC Hearing “Law in Political Transitions: Lessons From East Asia and the Road Ahead for China”

Congressional-Executive Commission on China | www.cecc.gov

CECC Chairman Senator Chuck Hagel's Statement on CECC Hearing “Law in Political Transitions: Lessons From East Asia and the Road Ahead for China”

July 26, 2005

(Washington, DC)—The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a hearing entitled, " Law in Political Transitions: Lessons From East Asia and the Road Ahead for China," on Tuesday, July 26.   On Panel 1, Gretchen Birkle, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, State Department, presented the Administration’s assessment of rule of law development in China and reviewed U.S. efforts to promote legal reform there.  On Panel 2, panelists Jerome A. Cohen, Professor of Law at New York University Law School; John Fuh-sheng Hsieh, Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina; and John K. Ohnesorge, Professor of Law and Associate Director of East Asian Legal Studies at the University of Wisconsin School of Law, reviewed China’s legal reform progress and discussed the relevance of South Korea and Taiwan and models for China’s political and legal development. 

Following the hearing, U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Chairman of the Commission, said:

"Over the past twenty-five years, China has made notable progress in rebuilding its legal system.  But China’s political system continues to leave most Chinese people without a voice in their own political future, and legal institutions have yet to provide a reliable check on the arbitrary exercise of power.  Taiwan and South Korea faced similar problems at earlier stages in their history, and provide examples worthy of study as we assess possible paths for China’s future development."

Additional information regarding this roundtable, including written statements of the panelists, is available on the CECC's website at: /hearing/law-in-political-transitions-lessons-from-east-asia-and-the-road-ahead-for-china

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