A law expert told China.org.cn that a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics now exists in China. The existence of such a system has been a topic of debate since a symposium on the subject was held in January.

The symposium listed criteria by which to judge the existence of a socialist legal system. A socialist legal system is defined as a legal system that stresses adherence to the leadership of the communist party and public ownership.

Li Lin, director of the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he thinks the main indicator of the existence of a socialist legal system is whether there are laws and regulations covering all the main aspects of a society – such as in politics, economics and cultural life.

China now has a legal framework made of different legal jurisdictions, such as administrative, civil and penal laws, as well as a sufficient quantity of laws, Li said. He did not say how such a quantity is determined or why he thinks China's 236 laws and more than 700 administrative regulations is enough to make a legal system. But nevertheless, he thinks these two facts support his main criteria for determining whether a legal system exists.

Li said a formed legal system will also have reduced the number of legal loopholes and conflicting laws, and ensure consistency, coordination and unification of the legal system.

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