China plans to expand the public's participation in lawmaking, an area which needs great improvement, said Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the statement when presiding over a meeting of the members of the Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee for their first study on how to implement the rule of law.

"We shall expand the people's orderly participation in legislation in line with legal procedures. It will help the lawmakers find out and solve the problems that matter most to the people," he said.

The country needs to improve legislation, adopting more laws to meet the needs of economic and social development and the people, and to build a socialist law system with Chinese characteristics, he said.

Efforts must be made to improve the enforcement of laws including the Constitution, he said. "We shall stick to the principle that all citizens are equal in front of the law."

Party organs and its members are urged to set an example of abiding by laws while all mechanisms to supervise the enforcement of laws will be geared up, he said.

The whole society, from common citizens to government and Party officials, needs more education on laws, he said.

"We must realize that full implementation of the rule of law as a fundamental principle is key to building socialism with Chinese characteristics, maintain a harmonious society and realize lasting stability and peace in the country," he said.

Hu also urged Party organs of all levels to highlight law-based governance and push forward reforms in line with laws.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2007)