BEIJING \u2013 A judge in China\u2019s top court has labeled Donald Trump an enemy \u201cof the rule of law\u201d over his insults directed at a U. S. judge who temporarily blocked the president\u2019s travel ban, saying Trump had set a poor example as head of the world\u2019s leading democracy.
Supreme People\u2019s Court Judge He Fan\u2019s blog post came after Trump went on Twitter on Saturday to denigrate James Robart as a \u201cso-called judge\u201d whose \u201cridiculous\u201d decision opened the country to potential terror attacks.
In his post, dated Sunday, He wrote that under the U. S. system\u2019s separation of powers, a president who is dealt a judicial defeat should bear the loss silently rather than lash out at the judge in question.
The widely reported controversy surrounding Trump\u2019s ban follows recent remarks by China\u2019s top judge that the concept of judicial independence was an \u201cerroneous Western ideal\u201d unsuited to China \u2014 seen as a demand for obedience from the ruling Communist Party\u2019s leaders. Those comments have reignited a debate on the topic within China\u2019s legal community, which is in general tightly bound to uphold the party line.
He, an expert on the American justice system, did not voice his thoughts in that debate, although he frequently offers opinions on matters foreign and domestic. He published a lengthy and widely read paean to U. S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia following his death last year.
He said Trump had set a poor example and lost respect for having \u201cled the way in insulting a judge, with the vice president and his political party swarming to his defense (and) in a country known as the most democratic and most respectful of the rule of law.\u201d
\u201cThe president who would curse a judge and the thug who would kill a judge are both public enemies of the rule of law,\u201d He wrote, referencing the recent murder of a retired judge in southern China.
\u201cWho cares that you control the armed forces and have nuclear weapons at your disposal. Your dignity has been swept away and you are no different than a scoundrel,\u201d He wrote.
Trump had been considered by many in China as preferable to Democratic Party candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was seen as taking a harder line toward Beijing. However, Trump has also raised concerns over his comments on Taiwan, trade and other issues seen as diverging from long-established U. S. policy toward China.
The divisive U. S. presidential campaign and seeming chaos of Trump\u2019s first three weeks in office have also provided the ruling Communist Party with new grist for its claims that China\u2019s authoritarian one-party system is the best way for the country to ensure economic growth and social stability.<\/p>\n