On December 28, 2011, Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, met with the members of the Eighth Council of the All-China Lawyers Association (ACLA) in Beijing. In his speech, Zhou called on ACLA council members to unite and lead the country’s over 200,000 lawyers by "insisting on a correct political orientation.” The lawyers “should firmly maintain a correct political direction and play a bigger role in the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. [They] should always adhere to the Party’s leadership, adhere to the socialist road with Chinese characteristics, arm themselves with the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, firmly establish the concept of the socialist rule of law, link their pursuit of personal values with the cause of the Party and the people, link their future with the future of the Party and the people, and unswervingly become legal workers for socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Meanwhile, Zhou stressed that Party committees and governments at different levels must strengthen and improve their leadership over the work that lawyers do.
Source: People’s Daily, December 28, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/16745186.html