Adapting Responsive Regulation with Traditional Chinese Legal Doctrines? Something Old and Borrowed to Create Something Viable for a Modern China

Abstract

China is now an economic superpower. However, the sustainability of this Chinese economic miracle rests upon good governance buoyed by the rule of law. Whilst the notion of the rule of law is a complex subject matter, the ability to bring about a social order backed by laws under an integrated and cohesive regulatory framework is imperative. Then again, China is a country with long held cultural traditions and values. Thus, transplanting a regulatory framework from the West into China will not work unless it is flexible and pliable enough to incorporate tradition Chinese values and norms. This article draws to the attention of responsive regulation and examines the possibility of adapting it with traditional Chinese legal doctrines to create something would meet the needs of a rapidly modernizing China. Even though this exercise remains conceptual, it is hopefully a step in the right direction for China’s socio-economic development.