Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), made the pledge while writing a new century greeting for the 100th issue of "Democracy and Legal System", a weekly under People's Daily, recently.

At the same time, Li also wrote an inscription for the magazine, which read: Advocate the Spirit of Democracy and Promote the Building of Legal System.

In his centennial greeting, the top lawmaker recalled the development of democracy and legal system in China over the past five decades, especially the enormous achievements that China has made since it launched the reform and opening up drive in the late 1970s.

Over the past two decades, China issued over 380 sets of laws and resolutions, and decisions concerning the issue of law, more than 800 administrative rules, and more than 8,000 local regulations.

A socialist legal system, with the Constitution as an kernel and base, has taken shape in China, which have laid a foundation for the country to implement the policy of governing by law and building a law-governed socialist nation, Li said.

People's congresses at different levels and their standing committees still face a hard job because the country is set to build up a socialist legal system with China's own characteristics by the year 2010, according to the top legislator.

He hailed the strategy of governing the nation by law as a milestone for the development of democracy and building of a legal system in China as well as a political manifestation of the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at the core for leading the Chinese people to march towards a new era of socialist rule of law.

(Xinhua 01/10/2001)