Support for an anti-animal cruelty law in China, and legislative difficulties

Date published: July 6, 2026

China’s Ministry of Justice issued a public call on October 27, 2025 for suggestions on 2026 legislative projects, with the consultation period ending on November 26. During that month, animal-protection supporters circulated proposal lists and voting instructions online. An online vote supporting the inclusion of an Anti-Animal-Cruelty Law among the legislative projects of 2026 received more than 4.1 million votes. This accounts for over 96% of votes cast.

JiMu news asked Fu Jian – director of Henan Zejin Law Firm – about the prospects of an anti-animal cruelty law. Fu explained how various high-profile animal cruelty cases caused outrage. Because of such incidents, there is a widespread desire for a law, so that such behavior could be severely punished. However, according to Fu, from a legislative viewpoint such a law faces various difficulties. These partly follow from the starting point of Chinese legislation, which prioritizes the interests of human society. Issues that Fu highlighted include: how to define abuse, how to determine the boundaries of what practices as abuse, administrative difficulties, and the problem of enforcing such a law. He concludes that since no legislative project has been approved yet, further public participation is necessary.

Sources

– 王鹏, 极目新闻 / Jimu News, “司法部征集立法项目建议，网友发起《反虐待动物法》纳入投票，410万人投票支持，律师：如能立项，还需解决一系列问题” [Ministry of Justice solicits legislative-project suggestions; netizens launch vote to include an Anti-Animal Cruelty Law, with 4.1 million votes in support; lawyer says many issues would still need to be resolved if the proposal is accepted], November 27, 2025.