Government Institutions in China

Princeling Brats Go to my website under the China tab and click on the one that says LINK in big letters. Click through the slide show. How does this relate to the 5 generations of Chinese leadership? What would Mao think about this? Deng Xiaoping? Which of these do you think is the most ridiculous? Why?

Warm Up! Great Leap Forward Cultural Revolution Deng Xiaoping Special Economic Zones Iron Rice Bowl Democratic centralism Economic Liberalization Xi Jinping Cadre Leader who opened China to foreign trade A policy of guaranteed job, retirement, and health care for all citizens Decreasing government ownership to allow more private industry Current General Secretary of China Having all policymaking power controlled by the national government Small areas that are allowed to implement a market-based economy A period where Mao tried to purge all non-revolutionary elements of society A policy that resulted in widespread famine Individuals who show a great deal of zeal for Party policies.

Fun China Facts of the Day! Which of these cities best represent the amount of infrastructure China adds daily? Katy El Paso San Antonio Houston In August of 2010, construction on a highway entering Beijing caused the largest traffic jam in Chinese history. How long do you think it lasted?

5 days!

Constitution of China--1982 Technically, China has a Constitution (1982) Makes Congress the most powerful organization (kinda happened) “A socialist state under the people’s democratic dictatorship” Also gives freedom of speech… Technically, code law

Parallel Hierarchy and Dual Roles Chinese politics are crazy There are three parallel hierarchies (vertical rankings) Military Party Government In reality, all are dominated by the _____________ Party Sometimes, positions are held by the same person in two different hierarchies

1st Hierarchy--The Communist Party The most powerful of the hierarchies Local party elections—Direct elections, but government approves candidates National Party Congress—2220 delegates chosen from local congresses, only meets every 5 years Main importance—elect people to Central Committee Central Committee—340 members, meet once a year Main importance—Elect people to Politburo/Standing committee

The Communist Party, continued Politburo—24 members Standing Committee—7 people Meet in secret Make most decisions about what happens in China Generally come from powerful families, some are princelings General Secretary—Head of the Standing Committee (most powerful position in China)

The Party

Some vocabulary Guanxi—Personal connections—Play a huge role in Chinese politics Patron-client network—Advancement based on who you know and political connections Nomenklatura—A system of selecting cadres for advancement from lower levels based on loyalty and contributions to the party Also used in Russia

2nd Hierarchy--The Government China’s government has three branches: Executive (President and Premier) Legislative (The _________’s Congress) Judiciary (The ________’s Court) All branches are controlled by the ____________ Party No checks and balances or independence among branches

The People’s Congresses Hierarchical Top—National People’s Congress (2980 members!) Then, provincial, city, and local congresses (think mass line, but not really) Choose the President and Vice President of China (but the party only nominates one candidate for each), and constitutionally can create legislation Direct elections only held at local levels

Executive Branch President, Premier, and Vice President Each serve maximum of 2 five year terms Largely ceremonial Sometimes, president and General Secretary of the communist party are the same person (Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping) Dual Role—Huge in Chinese politics—hold a position in multiple hierarchies

Judiciary—The People’s Court Hierarchical People’s Procuratorate—Public prosecutors and defendants for everyone Still largely under the control of the Communist Party Still no Constitutional Court VERY high conviction rate Execution widely used Rule of law?

Changes to the Judicial System What do you think property rights were like under Mao? How do you think they’ve changed? Recently, changes have been made to China’s legal system because: Had to introduce property rights because of EDZ’s (FTZ’s) Needed laws for entry into WTO So… Set up property rights Had higher standards for judges Expanded more law schools

3rd Hierarchy—The Military—The People’s Liberation Army Very large—3 million members Representation in both the Central Committee and the Standing Committee Has never dominated politics, but has a huge budget Early, under Mao, all political leaders were military leaders

Pictionary Race! You have 5 minutes to make sure you know all the terms below! Mandate of Heaven Charismatic legitimacy 5 Year Plans The Mass Line Deng Xiaoping Special Economic Zones Political liberalization World Trade Organization 5 Generations Xi Jinping Politburo National People’s Congress Democratic Centralism Let 100 flowers bloom The Great Leap Forward Cadre Cultural Revolution Mao’s Red Book Ai Weiwei Princelings Economic liberalization Mao Zedong Standing committee National Party Congress Guanxi/Nomenklatura

Writing! Mentioning all three of the hierarchies, SUMMARIZE the political institutions of China IN YOUR OWN WORDS. MINIMUM 5 sentences, and must mention guanxi and nomentaklura

More writing! 2008 #7 (Any you can do on #8 is extra credit)

Magazines! Pick up a magazine on the way in. Look at pages 6-9 of the News China magazine and find a story that is interesting about China. You have 10 minutes. You don’t have to write it down, but you will be explaining your story to someone else, so pick a good one and know what you’re talking about!

FRQ—2008 #6