China Mobilizes 100,000 Lawyers to Pledge Loyalty to Constitution, Socialism

Unprecedented nod to constitutional governance may hint at emerging political winds in Beijing

Security personnel patrol in Tiananmen Square ahead of a vote on constitutional amendments at the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 11, 2018. China's rubber-stamp parliament is set on March 11, to hand President Xi Jinping free rein to rule the rising Asian superpower indefinitely, with potential abstentions offering the only suspense in the historic vote. / AFP PHOTO / GREG BAKER Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese authorities directed almost 100,000 lawyers in more than 400 cities across the country on Dec. 3 to take part in an unprecedented mass vow of loyalty to the Chinese constitution on the following day.

Dec. 4 is China’s fifth Constitution Day, as mandated by legislative amendment in 2013, the year current Chinese leader Xi Jinping took office. While Xi has diverged from previous Chinese leaders by advocating for constitutional rule in his speeches, these themes have often been toned down when run by Chinese Communist Party-controlled state media.