China Issues Ninth Five-Year Plan for Legal Publicity and Education

China has released the Ninth Five-Year Plan for Legal Publicity and Education (2026–2030), drafted by the CPC Central Publicity Department and the Ministry of Justice and forwarded by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Running parallel with the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the policy sets targets to raise administrative legal compliance among officials and enhance general civic legal literacy by 2030. Key measures include embedding Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law across party schools, higher education, and cadre training, while institutionalizing the principle that law enforcement bodies must actively publicize laws during official duties.

The plan serves as China's top-level design for legal outreach and civic education over the next five years. By aligning legal publicity with economic development priorities under the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, Beijing aims to strengthen administrative compliance, reduce governance frictions, and reinforce institutional authority through systemic ideological and legal training.

China has unveiled its national blueprint for legal education for the second half of the decade, as the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council forwarded the Ninth Five-Year Plan for Legal Publicity and Education (2026–2030). The plan, jointly authored by the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Department and the Ministry of Justice, sets strategic goals to enhance legal literacy across Chinese society and bolster the country's rule-of-law governance. By 2030, the policy targets a measurable improvement in the ability of leading cadres to perform their duties in accordance with the law, alongside an overall rise in civil legal literacy. According to the document, China aims to cultivate a social climate that respects rules, upholds contracts, and safeguards fairness, while embedding legal education directly into everyday administrative and legal practices. The initiative is explicitly aligned with supporting national economic and social priorities throughout the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). A central pillar of the new plan is the comprehensive dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. To achieve this, authorities plan to establish a dedicated faculty database and design benchmark demonstration courses. The ideology will be integrated into the core curriculum of party committees’ theoretical study groups, party schools, and cadre executive academies. In academia, law programs will mandate courses on Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, while non-law university majors will be encouraged to offer elective courses, supported by specialized learning materials such as a newly organized college student reader and existing standard textbooks. The plan also reinforces institutional accountability by advancing the 'who enforces the law must publicize the law' responsibility system across law enforcement and judicial agencies. Furthermore, public outreach will utilize academic and research platforms, including the Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law Research Center and national lecture series, to highlight major milestones in China's legal infrastructure and governance.