ABSTRACT
Since economic reform commenced in 1978, China’s gross domestic product has increased by an average of more than 9 percent annually. At the same time, China’s crime rate has had a striking increase. China is currently the world’s most populous nation and has distinctive political, economic, and cultural features. China has unique political, economic and cultural features that make students of China think about a criminological theory that may have Chinese characteristics. Politically, China features a one-party ruling system. This party is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In the one-party ruling system, the CCP is superior to the government and the law. When the East meets the West, it is the right place to talk about rule of man and rule of law, or informal control versus formal control. China stands at one side of the informal–formal control spectrum, while the US stands at the other.
