Reforms should be supported by action

China's push for the rule of law this year is unprecedented since its reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, because China's development has come to such a turning point that the country is finding it hard to sustain its stability and growth with the former rule of government power.

The reform of the legislature, judiciary and administration, as the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China outlined in a rule of law reform road map at its Fourth Plenum this year, will make the rule of law more pertinent to the needs of the nation's development, the judicial departments more independent and professional, and government power more restricted and supervised.

I came to China from the Philippines in 1956 at the age of 25, responding to the call of my father and late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai to help China restart its marine biology research, so I am a witness to every step of progress and every drawback of the country.