I am sitting here reading an WSJ article about the trial of a judge, a judicial chief in Chongqing who is convicted of taking massive bribes over many years in order to keep organized crime in Chongqing safe from the law. In the understatement of the year, the article states, “The problem of judicial corruption threatens to undermine public confidence in the legal system just as China pushes to further develop the rule of law.” Clearly, the judicial system in China is full of corruption and incompetence. Many judges assume their jobs directly out of college, without the experience that comes from working at lower level positions first. Adding to the situation is that Chinese courts are still controlled by the Communist Party, and their ability to make independent decisions is limited.

As I sit here at my desk reading this article, the thought popped into my head that this task of developing rule of law in China is a MASSIVE task, with so many obstacles in the way. It’s like finding a pebble in a deep ocean….. I want to be a part of the solution, but it seems at times to be an insurmountable problem. To see real rule of law in China, you have to deal not only with the corruption, but also the education of public officials on what the law actually says, plus the task of reforming the thought process of government officials to allow the law to stand on it’s own….. Wow!

In future blog posts, I hope to offer my view of solutions. But today, it feels like I’m swimming in a wide and deep ocean, unsure of how to get to solid ground.