Nevertheless, voices in favor of retaining death penalty are also very strong in other circles. They see the abolishment of death penalty as of no actual significance in a society of imperfect legislation, an unfair judicial system and with immature legal awareness.

They argue the death penalty is unmatched for deterrence, since it certainly prevents the executed criminal from committing more offences. It also saves on the costs of long-term imprisonment.

They also claim that the death penalty has thousands of years of history in China, that we cannot deter private revenge without the death penalty, and abolishing it could trigger social panic.

The Chinese government adheres to the policy of maintaining the death penalty, but has also tried to carry out reforms. For instance, Zhang Jun, former vice minister of Justice, once said that China should give priority to reforming its death penalty system. He also suggested that longer prison terms, such as 20 or 30 year sentences, should be used as an alternative to the death penalty.

In my opinion, China is likely to abolish the death penalty. It is a historical trend that China is unable to alter. It is impossible to dissociate our nation from the global tide of abolition.

But, the abolition of death penalty should be carried out under certain political, economic, cultural, legal terms and suitable systems. China should have a sober awareness of the conditions needed to abolish the death penalty.

It will take time to abolish the death penalty and we should take public opinion, the expectations of the elite, and international attention into consideration.

However, discreet and gradual moves do not imply we can stop moving forward. Laying down a practical and progressive scheme for abolishing the death penalty is an urgent necessity.

The author is deputy director of the School of Law at Shantou University. [email protected]