chinese political system

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CHINESE POLITICAL SYSTEM

China makes no pretense to be - or to want to be - a democracy in theWestern style unlike the other countries whose political systems are

described on this web site. However, I thought it appropriate to offer a guideto the Chinese political system because the country is the largest in theworld by population and it is a nation of growing economic and politicalimportance in global affairs, so we would all do well to have someappreciation of how the country is run. However, it is a political systemprobably rivalled in its opacity only by the government of North orea.

!ince the end of the civil war in "#$#, the Communist %arty of China &C%C'has ruled the country and operates a pyramid of power which reaches downto every village and every workplace. (he %arty)s *+-million membershipmakes it the biggest political party in the world.

s with the former Communist-controlled !! and its satellite states, Chinapretends to be a multi-party state by technically permitting a limited numberof other political parties. (he eight registered minor parties have e/istedsince before "#+0. (hese parties all formally accept the leadership of theC%C and their activities are directed by the nited 1ront Work 2epartment ofthe C%C.

THE CONSTITUTION

(he Constitution of the %eople)s epublic of China is a changing document.(he first Constitution was declared in "#+$. fter two intervening versionsenacted in "#3+ and "#3*, the current Constitution was declared in "#*4.(here were significant differences between each of these versions, and the"#*4 Constitution has subse5uently been amended no less than four times&"#**, "##6, "###, and 400$'. In addition, changing Constitutionalconventions have led to significant changes in the structure of Chinesegovernment in the absence of changes in the actual te/t of the Constitution.

(here is no special organi7ation tasked with the enforcement of the ChineseConstitution. 1urthermore, under the legal system of the %eople)s epublic of

China, courts do not have the general power of 8udicial review and cannotinvalidate a statute on the grounds that it violates the Constitution.

THE POLITIBURO

9very significant decision affecting China is first discussed and approved by ahandful of men who sit on the party)s %olitical :ureau or %olitburo which is

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the ne/us of all power in this nation of ".6 billion. (he 4+-member %olitburois elected by the party)s Central Committee. New %olitburo members arechosen only after rigorous discussion and investigation of their backgrounds,e/perience and views. (o reach the top, people need a strong record ofachievement working for the party, to have the right patrons, to have

dodged controversy, and to have avoided making powerful enemies.

(he full politburo tends to include party secretaries from big municipalitieslike :ei8ing and !hanghai and from important provinces like ;uangdong.ecently, the wealth generated by China)s economic reforms has led someanalysts to suggest the power of the centre is waning. It is pointed out thatparty secretaries of large provinces like !ichuan and ;uangdong are incharge of populations bigger than most 9uropean countries and that theirta/ revenues are vital to :ei8ing.

1ormally, the power of %olitburo members stems from their positions in thedecison-making body. :ut in China, personal relations count much more than8ob titles. leader)s influence rests on the loyalties he or she builds withsuperiors and proteges, often over decades. (hat was how 2eng

the National %eople)s Congress or parliament

the !tate Council, the government)s administrative arm

the =ilitary ffairs Commission which controls the armed forces

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(he %resident of China is the head of state. He is currently

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In theory, the Congress has the powers to change the constitution and makelaws. :ut it is not, and is not meant to be, an independent body in theWestern sense of a parliament. 1or a start, about 30D of its delegates - andalmost all its senior figures - are also party members. (heir loyalty is to theparty first, the N%C second.

What actually tends to happen, therefore, is that the party drafts most newlegislation and passes it to the N%C for EconsiderationE, better described asspeedy approval.

(he N%C has shown some signs of growing independence over the pastdecade. 1or instance, in a notable incident in "###, it delayed passing a lawbringing in an unpopular fuel ta/. It has also been given greater leewaydrafting laws in areas like human rights.

(he main function of the Congress is to EelectE a Central Committee of&currently' 40+ full members and "3" lower-ranking or EalternateEmembersE, though in fact almost all of these people are approved inadvance. eal influence lies within this Central Committee which meetsevery couple of months.

(he formal position is that Congress also EelectsE the country)s highestleaders, including the !tate %resident and Fice-%resident, the Chairman ofthe government)s own =ilitary ffairs Commission, and the %resident of the!upreme %eople)s Court.

THE STATE COUNCIL

(he !tate Council is the cabinet which oversees China)s vast governmentmachine. It sits at the top of a comple/ bureaucracy of commissions andministries and is responsible for making sure party policy is implementedfrom the national to the local level.

In theory, the !tate Council answers to the National %eople)s Congress, butmore often the !tate Council submits legislation and measures which theN%C then approves.

(he !tate Council)s most important roles are to draft and manage thenational economic plan and the state budget, giving it decision-makingpowers over almost every aspect of people)s lives. It is also responsible forlaw and order.

(he full council meets once a month, but the more influential !tandingCommittee comes together more often, sometimes twice a week. (his

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committee is made up of the country)s premier, four vice-premiers, statecouncillors and the secretary-general.

THE MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMISSION

China)s %eople)s Aiberation rmy &%A' - currently 4.4+ million strong - hasalways defended the party as much as national borders. 2uring the earlyyears of communist rule, most of the country)s leaders owed their positionsto their military success during the civil war, and links between them and the%A remained very close. However, as this generation has died off andreforms have been introduced to make the armed forces more professional,the relationship has shifted subtly.

%arty leaders know they are lost without the army)s support, as becameclear during crises like the "#*# (iananmen protests. t the same time,senior military leaders realise they need the leadership)s backing if far-reaching plans to modernise the armed forces are to be paid for.

(he party)s control over the armed forces and their nuclear arsenal isinstitutionalised through the Central =ilitary ffairs Commission. Currentlythe ""-member Commission has a civilian chairman &the %resident

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%resident has launched an assault on inefficiency and corruption. (he targetsof the anti-corruption campaign have included the former head of security@hou Jongkang, the country)s highest-ranking official to be prosecuted inmore than three decades, and Aing ?ihua, a top aide to the former presidentHu ?intao. Kf course, such actions, as well as combating corruption, serve to

eliminate opponents and consolidate power.

THE COURTS

nlike in democratic countries, the China)s court system is in no senseindependent. :oth main legal organs answer to the National %eople)sCongress.

(he !upreme %eople)s %rocuratorate is the highest legal supervisory body,charged with safeguarding the constitution, laws and people)s rights.

(he !upreme %eople)s Court sits at the top of a pyramid of people)s courtsgoing down to the local level. %ublic security organs are in charge of theinvestigation, detention and preparatory e/amination of criminal cases.

THE PROVINCES

China is governed as 44 provinces, five EautonomousE regions, fourmunicipalities - considered so important they are under central governmentcontrol &:ei8ing, !hanghai, (ian8in and Chong5ing' - and two specialadministrative regions. (he people in charge of these bodies - a group of

about 3,000 senior party and government leaders - are all appointed by theparty)s organisation department.

lthough many are powerful individuals - the governor of !ichuan provincerules over *0 million people - their ability to deviate from the party line islimited because they know their ne/t career move would be at stake.Nevertheless, most analysts agree the centre has lost some control to theregions in the past two decades, especially in the economic field.

CONCLUSION

(he Chinese Communist %arty is almost schi7ophrenic in its economicpolicies. Kn the one hand, China is still a communist society but, on theother hand, its economy is more capitalist than most 9uropean countries.(his contradiction is blurred by language with the use of vague phrases likeEsocialism with Chinese characteristicsE and Ethe socialist market economyE.(he word )capitalist) is rarely used instead policymakers talk of EeconomicdevelopmentE and Ecommercial businessE.

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Kn one of my three trips to China, I was told by one person with an eye onthe recent history of ussia)s economy> E!ocialism has not saved ChinaChina has saved socialismE.

=eanwhile politics is almost invisible in China. lthough the country is still

controlled by the Communist %arty, there is none of the overt sloganisingthat one sees in communist countries like Fietnam or Cuba &both of which Ihave also visited'. eal politics takes place behind closed doors in the organsof the Communist %arty, not on the streets or in the media.

=ost citi7ens - even educated ones - have no interest in politics generally ordemocracy in particular. Instead there seems to be an unwritten andunannounced compact between the %arty and the people> )Jou leave us torun the country and we)ll leave you to make as much money as you can).

It remains to be seen whether this massive disconnect between economicsand politics - the former liberal, the latter totalitarian - can survive and, ifnot, whether the changes are smooth or disruptive.

:ut fundamental change is unlikely under the current leadership. 9arly in40"$, %resident EConstitutional monarchy, imperial restoration,parliamentarism, a multi-party system and a presidential system, weconsidered them, tried them, but none worked.E