President Xi Jinping has urged law societies to play a better role as bridges in the country's legal construction, contributing more to advancing law-based governance and Chinese modernization.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said this in a letter sent to the ninth congress of the China Law Society, which opened in Beijing on Friday.

Acknowledging the achievements made by law societies since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xi encouraged them to increase their efforts in enriching legal research, supporting the practice of the rule of law, raising the public's legal awareness and strengthening legal talent education.

He stressed the significance of upholding the Party's overall leadership and continuing to serve the broader goals of both the Party and the country, calling for breaking new ground in the cause of law societies.

Legal scholars and practitioners should consolidate confidence in the rule of law, and devote themselves to the crucial task of comprehensively advancing law-based governance, Xi added.

Chen Wenqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, spoke at the opening of the congress. He said that legal professionals should take the initiative to serve the people and carry out in-depth legal research.

Concrete efforts need to be intensified in ensuring sound legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial administration of justice and society-wide adherence to the law, Chen said.

Wang Chen, director of the China Law Society, delivered a work report at the congress, at which exemplary groups and individuals in the law society system nationwide were awarded.

Liu Guojie, who was recognized as an exemplary individual from the law society in Binzhou, Shandong province, said: "President Xi's remarks and requirements in the letter inspired me as a front line legal practitioner to fulfill my duties and serve the people."

As a grassroots legal service provider, she noted that their major job is to focus on solving difficulties and complaints from the public, adding that "we'll unite legal professionals, such as lawyers, scholars and judges, to make greater contributions to addressing the problems, whether through theoretical research, promoting legal knowledge or offering legal consultation".

Tao Kaiyuan, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, said that law societies are think tanks in deepening research of legal issues involving foreign affairs, especially in the international rule-making process for advanced technologies.

Looking ahead, she stressed the importance of integrating legal research with judicial practice, particularly in training legal talent in foreign-related rule of law.

Tao, who is also head of the China Law Society's Intellectual Property Law Association, added: "The top court has actively participated in providing training programs for professionals in foreign-related IP legal issues and will continue these efforts."

Yang Dong, president of the Law School at Renmin University of China, said that it is crucial to strengthen international cooperation in legal research, noting that "it will help the global community better understand China's legal system and, in turn, boost our confidence in the rule of law".

While sharing suggestions in the formulation of important legislative items, including the Energy Law and the Private Sector Promotion Law, law societies at all levels have also organized professionals to offer more than 324,000 lectures to enhance people's legal awareness, the data showed.

Additionally, to serve high-level opening-up, the China Law Society hosted foreign-related legal seminars, with training provided for 1,458 participants from 57 countries, the data added.

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