Why did Deng Xiaoping begin major legal reforms in the late 1970s?

Deng Xiaoping and other leaders initiated major legal reforms in the late 1970s primarily because they had personally suffered during the Cultural Revolution and recognized that China’s isolation had caused it to fall behind other developing nations.1

The primary motivations for these reforms included:

• Preventing Chaos: Leadership sought to build a stable legal order to prevent a recurrence of the lawlessness and instability experienced during the Cultural Revolution.1
• Economic Modernization: To transition from a planned economy to a market-oriented system, China needed a legal framework to facilitate international engagement and allow commercial entities to form relationships and resolve disputes through third parties.1
• Institutional Rebuilding: The state aimed to reestablish core institutions, including courts and law schools, and to train a large body of lawyers and legal professionals to support a functioning society.1

By establishing criminal law and criminal procedure codes, the government sought to create a predictable legal environment, although the practical application of these laws has historically remained subject to the influence of political leadership.21