I.
Parallel state and party systems
II.
Party -
Overview
a.
Based on Marxism-Leninism,
Mao Zedong/Deng Xiaoping Thought
i. Ideology revised under Deng, removed radical Maoist elements
ii. Ideology weakly believed
1.
Access to more diverse
media (e.g., internet) and greater openness of media further dilutes saliency
of ideology
2.
Education still used
extensively for indoctrination, although enrollment drops sharply after primary
school
3.
Emphasis on technical
training reduces focus on politics
4.
Rise of autonomous both
traditional and popular culture washes out party
5.
Small religious revival
6.
Revival of nationalism as
surrogate for ebbing communism
7.
Minorities (
iii. Members mostly join for career purposes (only 5% of population in CCP);
higher officials are technically proficient, not politicized working class
radicals
1.
40% peasants; 20% workers;
30% intellectuals, professionals
2.
Women only 20%, very unrepresentated at higher levels
b. Defines what is socialism
c.
Oversees work of
government
d. Establishes major policy goals
III.
Party Organization
a.
General Secretary
b. Politburo and Standing Committee
c.
Central Committee
d. National Party Congress
i. Provincial, City and Local Party
Congresses and Organizations
e.
Primary Party
Organizations
(Branches and cells)
Organization
of the Chinese Communist Party
General Secretary Standing Committee (7) Politburo (24) Only consequential level for
policies and guidance Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (enforces
party discipline) Secretariat (7) manages the daily work of Politburo and
Standing Commitee, coordinates party structure Other Central Commissions, Offices, etc National Party Congress (2074) Meets every 5 yrs. Mostly symbolic
role Provincial, City and Local Party Congresses and
Organizations
Chinese Communist Party Organization
Organization of the Government of
the People’s Republic of China
IV. Government
a.
Composed mostly of CCP
members
b. Has structure somewhat similar to French system regarding executive
1.
President
The President of the
People's Republic of
2.. Premier - The premier of the State Council is nominated by the president, reviewed
by the NPC, and appointed and removed by the president. Other members of the
State Council are nominated by the premier, reviewed by the NPC or its Standing
Committee, and appointed and removed by the president.
3. Cabinet
(State Council) - The
State Council is responsible for carrying out the principles and policies of
the Communist Party of China as well as the regulations and laws adopted by the
NPC, and dealing with such affairs as China's internal politics, diplomacy,
national defense, finance, economy, culture and education.
Under the current Constitution, the State Council exercises the power of
administrative legislation, the power to submit proposals, the power of
administrative leadership, the power of economic management, the power of
diplomatic administration, the power of social administration, and other powers
granted by the NPC and its Standing Committee.
4. Legislature
is different
i. The National People's Congress is the highest
organ of State power of the People's Republic of
ii. The NPC has the right to enact and amend
the Constitution of the People ' s Republic of China, and to enact and amend
basic laws concerning criminal offenses, civil affairs, State organs, and other
matters.
iii. The power to delegate authority allows the
Congress to select, empower, and remove leadership and members of the highest
State organs.
iv. Policy formulation
v. Supervision of governing organs and officers: The NPC has the right to select the members
of the Standing Committee of the NPC; to elect the president and vice-president
of the People's Republic of China; to appoint and approve premier,
vice-premiers, State councilors, minister in charge of ministries and
commissions, auditor-general and secretary- general of the State Council; to
elect the chairman of the Central Military Commission and decide other members
of the Commission; and to elect the president of the Supreme People's Court t
and the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
The NPC has the right to remove any or all members it elects and decides, and
is therefore t he final authority among all State organs.
vi. Meets infrequently: Under the current Constitution and related
laws, the NPC holds a session on the first quarter of each year, convened by
its Standing Committee. A single term of a NPC deputy is five years.
vii. Delegates Power to Standing Committee: The NPC Standing Committee is the permanent
supreme State organ of power and legislation. It exercises the highest State
power and legislative power when the NPC is not in session. The Standing
Committee is composed of 153 members, none of whom can assume an office in
State administrative, judicial or procuratorial organs, so as to
maintain a separation of powers and to better supervise these organs
5.
Elections
a.
All candidates approved by
CCP
b.
Voters only choose
lower-level deputies to People’s Congresses (e.g., county, city)
i. Hi turnout
ii. Hi eligibility
iii. Choice of “approve” or “abstain” increasingly replaced by multiple
candidates and secret ballot
1.
11+ voters can nominate
candidates for election
2.
Rural elections – directly
elected village representative assemblies and officials
3.
Creates uneasy tension
with CCP
4.
CCP still has no organized
competition
c.
Indirect elections for
higher-level organs
d.
Patron-client relations
often prevail at local levels
e.
No independent interest
groups – but rather official “mass organizations” which do have some influence
on policy
i. All-China Federation of Trade Unions
ii. All-China Women’s Federation
iii. “NON-governmental organizations – associations based on profession,
cause or charity but officially “non-political”
iv. UNITS formed at workplace used to disseminate party line
v. RESIDENTS’ committees – instrument of control in urban neighborhoods –
prevents unauthorized contacts
vi. Control remains, although labor unrest remains, rural protests against
corruptions, taxes
6. Other Governing Organs
1. Supreme
People’s Court - The Supreme People's Court is the highest
judicial organ in
(1)
trying cases that have the greatest influence in
(2) supervising the work of local courts and special courts at
every level, overruling wrong judgements they might
have made, and deciding interrogations and reviewing cases tried by the lower
courts.
(3) giving
judicial explanations of the specific utilization of laws in the judicial
process that must be carried out nationwide.
The president of the Supreme People's Court is elected by the NPC and remains
in office for no more than two successive terms with each term lasting five
years. The deputy presidents of the Supreme People's Court, members of the
judicial committee, presiding judges of affiliated courts and their deputies,
and judicial officers are appointed and recalled by the Standing Committee of
the NPC.
2. The
Supreme People's Procuratorate -
The people's procuratorates are State organs for legal supervision. The
Supreme People's Procuratorate is the highest procuratorial organ. It is mainly responsible for
supervising regional procuratorates and special procuratorates to perform legal supervision by law and
protecting the unified and proper enforcement of State laws. The Supreme
People's Procuratorate has to report its work to the
NPC and its Standing Committee, to whom it is responsible, and accept their
supervision. (This seems like a
combination of the work of the federal “Attorney General” in the
3.
Central
Military Commission
a.
The Central Military
Commission is the supreme leading organ of the armed forces of the People's
Republic of
The chairman of the Central Military Commission is elected by the NPC, and the selection of other members are decided by the NPC and its
Standing Committee on the basis of the nomination by the chairman. The State
Central Military Commission follows the system of Chairman responsibility
in work, while the Chair man is responsible to the NPC and has the right to
make final decisions on affairs within its functions and powers.