The Chinese Party-State The Center

Outline Center of the party-state Local structure of party-state Party structure at the center Government structure at the center National People’s Congress Local structure of party-state Local people’s congresses Local Party & government organs

Communist party-state Organizational design of political system the difficult task of institutionalization Mao Zedong borrowed from the Leninist party-state of the Soviet Union the imperial system of ancient China principles of guardianship and hierarchy Mao added the idea of the “mass line”

Common Features The political systems of imperial China and the former Soviet Union centralized control bureaucratic administration the role of ideology no room for private, individual interests no room for organized opposition to the state

Changes in the System Great Leap Forward & Cultural Revolution political reforms in the post-Mao era substantive issues, policies, and the allocation of power have changed greatly the formal structure of the political system has endured

Communist party-state Guardianship the Party represents the historical best interests of the people the “people’s democratic dictatorship” allows no organized opposition to party leadership Hierarchy of party and govt. organizations “democratic centralism” consultation and implementation

Village

CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin (1989 - 2002) Hu Jintao (2002 - )

Politburo Standing Committee Each heads party work in one area organization and personnel propaganda and education finance and economy political-legal affairs foreign affairs etc.

CCP Central Committee About 200 members (and 150 alternate) membership in CC reflects political power Central Committee departments: Department of Organization Department of Propaganda Department of United Front Department of International Liaison

CCP National Congress Meets every 5 years since 1977 elects 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 17th National Party Congress October 2007 2213 delegates elects Central Committee

PRC Head of State President Jiang Zemin Hu Jintao 1993 - 2003 also the then CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao 2003 - also the current CCP General Secretary

Central Government Premier: Wen Jiabao (2003 - ) State Council 29 Ministries and Commissions Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of National Defense Development and Reform Commission People’s Bank of China, etc.

Central Military Commission Commanders-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army in both the central Party and government structures same composition Chair: Hu Jintao 11 members

National People’s Congress According to the constitution, the highest organization of state authority NPC Standing Committee the permanent body of NPC exercises all but the most formal powers of the NPC 9 Special Committees legislative affairs, nationalities, agriculture and rural, foreign affairs, etc.

National People’s Congress NPC plenary sessions meet annually in Beijing for about 2 weeks the nearly 3,000 deputies are elected for 5-year terms by provincial-level people’s congresses

National PC State Council Power Relationship CCP Politburo National PC State Council

Local People’s Congresses Eligible voters Township County County or district PC’s City City PC’s Province Provincial PC’s National Elected by People’s Congresses

Provincial Level Governments 22 Provinces 5 Autonomous Regions 4 Municipalities 2 Special Administrative

5 Autonomous Regions Inner Mongolia Xinjiang Uygur Guangxi Zhuang Ningxia Hui Tibet

Directly Administered Cities

Special Administrative Regions Hong Kong (since 1997) Macau (since 1999)

Local Governments At the rank of prefectures: At the rank of counties: 283 cities at the rank of prefectures At the rank of counties: 369 county-level cities 1,636 counties 852 city districts At the rank of townships/towns At the rank of villages

Local Party Structure 3.5 million party committees, party general branches, and party branches provinces, cities, counties, townships, and villages enterprises state-owned enterprises private enterprises

Replicated at lower levels Local party committee local people’s congress local government