Law in the China Model 2.0: Legality, Developmentalism and Leninism under Xi Jinping

Abstract

The Xi Jinping era version of a China model of development continues law’s reform-era roles of generally market-oriented development (under newly challenging conditions), checking development-challenging threats (amid increased concerns over corruption) and reducing pressure for political change (at a time of intolerance toward dissent). The Xi-era version of law appears to be more ‘legalist’ (than its predecessor), still ‘reformist-developmentalist’ and more ‘Leninist’. The Xi-era project for law remains narrowly instrumentalist, uneven across subject matter and region, and beset by both ‘supply-side’ and ‘demand-side’ challenges.