Lawlessness the root of all China's problems

Li Daokui, speaking at a previous World Economic Forum AFP

Most concerns about China’s growth tend to focus on issues such as the ageing population, rising inequality or wasted investment, but Li Daokui, an outspoken scholar, argues that the absence of an independent judiciary is the root of all China’s problems.

Although it is an obvious truth, it is rare for anyone to say so in public. Li, an academic adviser to China’s central bank, made the comment at the high-profile World Economic Forum in Tianjin, suggesting that Chinese authorities can ignore the issue no longer. After all, China’s economic environment...