• Commentary
  • Research
  • Experts
  • Events
Carnegie China logoCarnegie lettermark logo
{
  "authors": [
    "Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "AP",
  "programs": [
    "Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "China"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

China's WTO Commitment on Independent Judicial Review: Impact on Legal and Political Reform

Link Copied
By Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)
Published on Dec 3, 2004

Source: The American Journal of Comparative Law

China's accession to the World Trade Organization has presented the leaders in Beijing with the formidable challenge of establishing an independent judicial review system.  Yet, empirical research conducted by Dr. Veron Hung in key locales in China since 1998 reveal that the judicial review system is not independent.  In particular, in the realm of administrative litigation, factors such as interference, inter-court and intra-court influence, and bribery all work to weaken the independence of the judiciary.  While the Chinese government has undertaken steps to reduce the magnitude of these problems, the efforts - though quite impressive - cannot eliminate the fundamental obstacles to an independent judicial review system in China. These obstacles persist because local governments and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exercise power over the courts' personnel and finance and because of the overall primacy of CCP policies over law. To resolve these problems, political reform is needed to redefine the relationships between courts, the CCP, and local governments, and the international community can play an invaluable role in this regard.

To view the full text of the article, click on the right.

About the Author

Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)

Former Non-Resident Associate

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in Chinese Courts: An Analysis of Recent Patent Judgments

      Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)

  • Paper
    Judicial Reform in China: Lessons from Shanghai

      Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)

Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)
Former Non-Resident Associate
Mei Ying Gechlik (Veron Hung)
Political ReformDemocracyEconomyTradeChina

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

  • Commentary
    China Financial Markets
    Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?

    China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.

      Michael Pettis

  • Robot arm with disposable test tube virus sampling in laboratory
    Commentary
    Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions

    Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.

      Xue Gong

  • An aerial drone photo taken on June 4, 2026 shows a wind-photovoltaic power storage station of Huadian Inner Mongolia New Energy Co., Ltd. as part of the Horinger data center cluster green energy supply demonstration project, in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
    Commentary
    Are Data Centers the Solution to China’s Renewables Excess Capacity?

    China’s latest energy plan explicitly calls for integrating data centers into the electricity system, particularly connecting them to green energy. It appears Beijing wants to use compute as a source of domestic demand to absorb renewables excess capacity.

      • Damien Ma

      Damien Ma

  • Commentary
    Emissary
    Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of Stability

    But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.

      • Damien Ma

      Damien Ma

  • Commentary
    China Sells Stability Amid American Volatility

    U.S. unpredictability has allowed China to capitalize on its positioning as the “responsible great power”. Paradoxically, the more China wins the perception game, the more likely expectations will rise for Beijing to deliver not just words but to demonstrate with its deeds.

      Chong Ja Ian

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
Carnegie China logo, white
Keck Seng Tower133 Cecil Street #10-01ASingapore, 069535Phone: +65 9650 7648
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.