BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has integrated law-based governance with human rights protection, according to a white paper released Thursday.

Under the leadership of the CPC and based on the Constitution, a Chinese socialist system of laws has taken shape, providing a relatively complete legal system to protect human rights, said the white paper on the practice of the CPC in respecting and protecting human rights.

As of April 2021, there were 277 laws in force in China, including the Constitution and related laws, civil and commercial law, administrative law, economic law, social law, criminal law and procedural law related to litigation and non-litigation, the white paper said.