Socialist constitutionalism in contemporary China

Given the scope of the public discourse around liberal constitutionalism, can socialist constitutionalism or Confucian constitutionalism offer possible alternatives? Th is chapter explores whether Chinese socialist thought can construct an attractive and viable socialist constitutionalism that does indeed go beyond liberal constitutionalism. In part II , it introduces the background in which the socialist constitutional discourse has taken place. Part III then examines the various ways in which socialist constitutionalism has been conceptualised, contrasting and comparing ‘socialist constitutionalism’ to ‘constitutional socialism’, and societal visions of socialist constitutionalism to institutionalised visions of socialist constitutionalism. It will also look at how Chinese socialist- constitutionalist scholars conceptualise the proper role of the CCP in socialist constitutionalism. Part IV examines how socialist constitutionalism addresses the weaknesses found both in China’s current ‘party- state constitutionalism’ and in liberal constitutionalism as it applies to China.