After a four-day discussion on the "rule of law," the annual meeting of China's ruling Communist Party on Thursday unveiled legal reforms intended to create greater independence for judges and stricter limitations on local officials' influence over courts.

The meeting, called the Fourth Plenum which gathers about 370 members of the Central Committee and some representatives of the Communist Party's internal watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), issued a communique detailing the results of the gathering.

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The Fourth Plenum unveiled plans of creating measures to better implement and supervise the country's constitution through its parliament, the National People's Congress, as well as creating circuit courts to lessen party officials' control over the legal system.

The communique also promised to launch a mechanism that will bolster the government's transparency and accountability toward its policies. Most important, perhaps, is the Party's declaration of embracing the socialist rule of law that is imbued with Chinese characteristics, state news agency Xinhua reported.  

The details on how reforms will be implemented are still scarce and it is not immediately clear what changes will be made in line with the reforms proposed.

However, the meeting has apparently reaffirmed the ruling party's role in advancing the constitutional reforms, strongly underscoring its power above the constitution, Reuters reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's aggressive anti-graft drive came to the fore during the meeting that expelled five high-ranking party officials, most of them stout allies of Zhou Yongkang, the fallen security czar.

Zhou himself was not expelled at the plenum. However, the much-feared CCDI will meet on Saturday when other disgraced public officials, including Zhou, are expected to be "purged" from the ranks of the ruling part, Xinhua said.

Under Xi, who possesses a doctorate in law, China has seen the widest-ranging crackdown on corruption yet.

When Xi took power in March 2013, he launched a war against graft and corruption that has seen the fall of many powerful government and Party officials but has won him the favor of ordinary Chinese citizens. 

TagsChina’s Communist Party meeting, Fourth Plenum, Rule of Law, anti-graft campaign