The faith, determination and action of leading officials at various levels should serve not only as a wind vane of their values but also a key driving force in the country's efforts to promote the rule of law, says a People's Daily article.

At a recent seminar held for provincial and ministerial-level officials, top leader Xi Jinping urged leading officials to set a good example for the Party and the whole nation in respecting, studying and abiding by the law, and he set concrete requirements.

Only by adhering to the rule of law can leading officials act in accordance with the law. In so doing, they should first discard the rule by man and the will of the leader and firmly hold to the perception that all people are equal before the law and power is decided by, and operates according to, the law. At the same time, they should be bold in standing up and fighting behavior that harms and sabotages the rule of law.

A lack of knowledge of the law and failure to study it are the main reasons why some officials violate the law and Party discipline. All officials should remember that the law is the basis for the power they hold in their hands, systematically study the socialist legal system and uphold the country's Constitution.

Leading officials at various levels should also bear in mind that they should not trample on or cross the bottom line of the law and instead take the lead in abiding by and enforcing the law to create an environment in which problems are resolved according to the law.

The vitality of the law lies in its credible enforcement. Only by obeying the law and respecting legal procedures, can officials exercise the power in their hands to protect the interests of the people. Efforts to build a performance assessment system based on how officials' performance in pushing forward the rule of law should be accelerated.