1. The Chinese Party-State
The Center

3. 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

4. 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”

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Village

9. CCP General Secretary
Jiang Zemin ( )
Hu Jintao ( )

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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

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

21. 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

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

23. 5 Autonomous Regions Inner Mongolia Xinjiang Uygur Guangxi Zhuang
Ningxia Hui
Tibet

24. Directly Administered Cities

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

26. 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

27. 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

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