The release of a white paper on judicial reform could not be timelier. Calls for change are ringing loud as the Communist Party prepares to hold the 18th National Congress. The white paper's release this month places judicial reform squarely at the heart of political reform.

Judicial reform will strengthen China's rule of law. Not only is it necessary for political reform to work, but it also provides the legal safeguards that would protect reforms in other areas. The flagrant abuses uncovered in the cases of Bogu Kailai, Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai bring home the critical importance of the rule of law.