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What is constitutional property in China?

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Abstract

Chinese scholars often interpret the term “property” as set out in Art. 13 of the Constitution of China to bear the same meaning as property, as a right of private law. However, constitutional property is different from the form of property that exists as a statutory right. The interpretation of the constitutional concept shall not be replaced by just presenting the meaning of a statutory concept with the same wording. The sphere of constitutional property shall be determined only by constitutional interpretation. Drawing on American and German experiences, this article discusses whether ownership, inheritance rights and other rights of private law protecting economic interests, as well as rights of public law including right to education, public offices, vocational licenses and social security benefits are property in the context of the Chinese Constitution. The deciding factor is whether a specific right has economic value and thus expands the freedom citizens can actually enjoy, and whether the qualification of the right as property is compatible with relevant constitutional provisions. The author proposes a two-step approach to determine whether a specific right is constitutional property in China.

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Notes

  1. Xue Xiaojian merely introduces relevant stipulations of Law on Assembly, Procession and Demonstration as illustration of freedom of assembly, of procession and of demonstration. See Jiao 2010, 393–394; Han Dayuan introduces the contents of Regulation concerning Religious Matters as the meaning of religious freedom. See Hu/Han 2007, 259–260. Similarly, some textbooks cite international law to elaborate basic rights of Chinese Constitution. For instance, Xiao Zhecheng refers to Art. 18 of International Convention on Civil and Political Rights to expound the meaning and limits of religious freedom in China. See Zhang 2008, 206–207.

  2. Chen 2009, 4.

  3. Wang 2004, 72.

  4. Liang Huixing holds that it is a mistake to list property and right of inheritance in Art. 13 Sect. 2 CC as if there were parallel concepts. Liang 2004, 45.

  5. Wang 2004, 72.

  6. Gan 2010, 155.

  7. 419 U.S. 565 1975.

  8. 419 U. S. 565 1975, 573–574.

  9. 408 U. S. 593 1972.

  10. BVerfGE 7, 377, 397f.; 39, 334, 369; 52, 303, 345; 73, 301, 315.

  11. Brown, 5. St. Mary’s L. J. 299, 1973–1974.

  12. 397 US254 1970.

  13. Reich , 74 Yale L.J. 1245, 1255 1965. See also Reich, 73 Yale L.J. 733 1964.

  14. 397 US254 1970, 264.

  15. 397 US254 1970, 262.

  16. BVerfG, 1 BvL 1/09 vom 9.2.2010, Absatz 133 m.w.N.

  17. BVerfGE 69, 272, 300; 100, 1, 32; 117, 272, 294.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chinesisch-Deutsches Institut für Rechtswissenschaft, China University of Political Science and Law, Xituchenglu 25, Haidian District, Beijing, 100088, China

    Libin Xie

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Xie, L. What is constitutional property in China?. China-EU Law J 4, 65–73 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12689-015-0054-3

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