China’s Political Party System

Part One

　　Introduction

　　The political party system is an important component of modern democratic politics. The political party system a country adopts is determined by its nature, national conditions and level of social development. Political party systems vary from country to country, and this reflects the diversity of human civilizations.

China’s political party system is the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which is different from both the two-party or multiparty competition systems of Western countries and the one-party system practiced in some other countries. China’s system was established and has been developed during the long-term practice of the Chinese revolution, construction and reform. It is a basic political system that suits the conditions of China. It is a socialist political party system with Chinese characteristics, and a key component of China’s socialist democratic politics.

　　The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC will continue and develop long into the future. In China, both the CPC and the democratic parties must take the Constitution as the basic norm of their conduct, and uphold the dignity of the Constitution and ensure its implementation.

　　China’s system of multiparty cooperation consists of the CPC and eight democratic parties: the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, China Democratic League, China National Democratic Construction Association, China Association for Promoting Democracy, Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, China Zhi Gong Dang, Jiu San Society and Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is an important institution of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC. Based on the principle of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing of both good and bad times, the CPC and the eight democratic parties work hand in hand in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, thus giving rise to the basic feature of the multiparty cooperation system under the leadership of the CPC, with the CPC holding power and the eight democratic parties participating fully in state affairs. The system of multiparty cooperation shows unique political advantages and strong vitality, and plays an irreplaceable role in China’s political and social activities.

　　I. An Inevitable Choice in China’s Social and Historical Development

　　China had a long history of feudalism. After 1840, when the Western capitalist powers launched aggressive wars against China, the country’s corrupt and weak feudal ruling class buckled, and China was reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society. For nearly 110 years after that, the Chinese nation was plunged into the most dangerous situation, and the Chinese people had no democratic rights whatsoever.

　　To change the fate of the country and the Chinese nation, generation after generation of Chinese people rose up and waged a heroic struggle to save the country and the people. In the early 20th century, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, forerunner of China’s democratic revolution, turned his eyes to the West for a road that would save China. In 1911, he led a bourgeois democratic revolution, bringing to an end the autocratic monarchical system that had been in place in China for several millenniums. Dr. Sun founded the Republic of China and introduced a parliamentary and multiparty system similar to those of Western countries. This bourgeois political system was more progressive than the autocratic monarchy, but it was not long before it collapsed under the onslaught of domestic and foreign reactionary forces and therefore failed to fulfill the Chinese people’s fervent desire for independence and democracy. Dr. Sun Yat-sen later concluded that China could not simply copy European and American politics to govern its own society, as Chinese society was different from European and American society.

　　Between 1927 and 1949, the Kuomintang headed by Chiang Kai-shek exercised one-party dictatorship and monopolized all state power. It persecuted democratic and progressive forces against the trend of democratic politics and the wishes of the people, so it was eventually abandoned by history.

　　The political development of modern China called for a new political party system that suited China’s national conditions. Such a historic mission fell on the shoulders of the CPC and the democratic parties.

　　After it was founded in 1921, the CPC creatively combined the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with China’s reality, put forth the revolutionary program of New Democracy, and united with all revolutionary classes to fight for the independence of the nation, the liberation of the people, the prosperity of the country, and the wellbeing of the people. Most of the eight democratic parties were founded during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) and the War of Liberation (1945-1949). They were rooted among the national bourgeoisie and urban petty bourgeoisie, as well as intellectuals and other patriots associated with them. These people formed a progressive force that was anti-imperialist and patriotic and demanded democracy. In the days of tough struggle, the CPC established and developed close relations of cooperation with the democratic parties and joined forces with them to fight for peace and democracy. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the democratic parties actively joined the national united front led by the CPC and the democratic movement against the Japanese invaders, and made concerted efforts for national unity and progress, and against the surrendering, separatist and retrogressive activities of diehard elements in the Kuomintang. After the war, they worked together with the CPC in their fight against the policies of dictatorship and civil war adopted by the Kuomintang and the Chiang Kai-shek clique.

　　While leading the new democratic revolution to victory, the CPC established its core leadership role among the various revolutionary forces. The democratic parties and democratic personages without party affiliation chose the CPC as their leader on their own initiative and based on their long-term experience. In April 1948, they warmly endorse the CPC’s proposal to convene a new political consultative conference and set up a democratic coalition government. They made it public that they were willing to strive to build a New China under the leadership of the CPC. The First CPPCC was held in September 1949 and marked the formal establishment of the system of multiparty cooperation under the leadership of the CPC. It also marked the beginning of the CPC, the democratic parties and the democratic personages without party affiliation working together in building the state power of New China.

　　After the People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, the CPC, the country’s ruling party, further strengthened its unity and cooperation with the democratic parties and continued to push forward the theoretical innovation and development in practical work regarding multiparty cooperation. After socialist transformation was completed in 1956, and in light of the profound changes that had taken place among China’s social classes, the CPC set forth the principle of long-term coexistence and mutual oversight, which means that the CPC would coexist with the democratic parties forever, and that they would oversee each other. Since the CPC was the ruling party, the democratic parties would play more of an oversight role. Thus, the basic framework of multiparty cooperation in socialist China came into being. But after 1957, especially during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the system of multiparty cooperation suffered serious setbacks.

　　After the reform and opening up policy was adopted in 1978, the CPC, in light of the changes in the situation and tasks, made it clear that the system of multiparty cooperation is a basic feature and advantage of China’s political system, and set forth the principle of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing of both good and bad times to guide its relations with the democratic parties. It also set forth a complete set of theories and policies regarding the system of multiparty cooperation, making upholding and improving the system an important component of the theory and practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In 1989, the CPC formulated the Guidelines on Upholding and Improving the System of Multiparty Cooperation and Political Consultation Under the Leadership of the CPC, thus institutionalizing the system of multiparty cooperation. The First Session of the Eighth National People’s Congress in 1993 inserted to the Constitution this clause, “The system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC will continue and develop long into the future.” This provides the constitutional basis for the system. After its 16th National Congress in 2002, the CPC issued two documents in order to build socialist political civilization. One was the Guidelines on Further Strengthening the System of Multiparty Cooperation and Political Consultation Under the Leadership of the CPC, and the other was the Guidelines on Strengthening the Work of the CPPCC. These documents were designed to further standardize and institutionalize the system of multiparty cooperation. Since the founding of New China, the multiparty cooperation system has been continuously developed and consolidated, and played a significant role in the state’s political and social activities.

　　The political history and practice of modern and contemporary China prove that in developing democratic politics, China must proceed from its basic conditions, and will get nowhere by blindly emulating the political and party systems of other countries and that dictatorship will also end in failure, as it is against the law of historical development and the people’s will. The establishment and development of China’s system of multiparty cooperation was a logical choice of its modern and contemporary history, a product of the integration of Marxism-Leninism with China’s own situation, and a crystallization of the wisdom of the CPC and the democratic parties. This system is well suited to China’s conditions, the reality of its revolution, construction and reform, and the essential demands of socialist democracy. It reflects the Chinese nation’s fine cultural traditions of harmony, diversity, and inclusiveness, and has splendid Chinese characteristics. This system both accords with the trend of the times and embodies the inherent requirements of China’s social development.(To be continued)

　　Party of China (CPC) consults with and listens to suggestions from the democratic parties concerning important documents of the National Congress of the CPC and Central Committee, revisions of the Constitution and important laws, the selection of state leaders, important decisions concerning reform and opening up, long-range plans for economic and social development, and major issues of general significance.

　　Since the 1990s, the Central Committee has increased its consultation with the democratic parties, constantly enriched the content of consultation and gradually standardized procedures. From 1990 till June 2009, the Central Committee, State Council and various bodies they have delegated to do so have held 287 consultative conferences, forums and briefings for the democratic parties, and the General Secretary of the Central Committee personally hosted or attended 85 of them. Since the Sixteenth National Party Congress, the Central Committee, the State Council and the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee have held 142 consultative conferences, forums and briefings for the democratic parties, of which General Secretary Hu Jintao personally hosted or attended 37.

　　Since the 1990s, the central committees of the democratic parties and important persons without party affiliation have submitted more than 260 suggestions to the Central Committee and State Council, and on the local level, organizations of democratic parties have submitted more than 90 thousand suggestions on matters concerning economics, politics, society, education, science and technology, culture, public health, national defense, diplomatic relations, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese nationals. They all received careful consideration by the Central Committee and State Council and many were adopted, bringing considerable benefit to society. At the same time, local CPC committees at all levels held consultations with responsible persons in local democratic party organizations at their level, and this practice has already become institutionalized.

　　Another important form of political consultation is consultation of the CPC with the democratic parties, persons without party affiliation and representatives from all walks of life in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). In all the various kinds of meetings of the CPPCC, leaders of the democratic parties speak in their party’s name, and the rights of all parties to carry out inquiries, make motions, make complaints, report on social conditions and people’s moods, and participate in surveys and investigations are fully respected and protected. For example, 1,345 delegates to the First Plenary Session of the Eleventh National Central Committee of the CPPCC, 60.1% of the total, were not members of the CPC; 195 of them were members of the standing committee, 65.4% of the total; and 13 of them were vice chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, 52% of the total. There are 669 members of democratic parties in the CPPCC National Committee, a total of 29.9%. There are 378 thousand persons who are not members of the CPC who are members of provincial, municipal and county CPPCC committees.

　　All the democratic parties play a unique role in socialist modernization by participating in the exercise of political power and serving society.

　　Since the First Session of the Eleventh National People’s Congress (NPC) in 2008, 187 thousand persons who are members of the democratic parties or without party affiliation have been elected to people’s congresses at all levels. Six of whom are standing committee vice chairpersons and 49 of them are members of the NPC Standing Committee; 35 of whom are standing committee vice chairpersons and 479 of them are members of standing committees of provincial-level people’s congresses; and 361 of whom are standing committee vice chairpersons and 2,232 of them are members of standing committees of municipal-level people’s congresses.

　　In June of 2008, there were 320 thousand persons who are members of the democratic parties or without party affiliation who were government officials in positions at the section chief or county level or higher, and in the exercise of their duties, they have the power to direct administrative work, make decisions on matters that fall within their jurisdiction, and have the right to make suggestions concerning hiring and firing staff. Among the most prominent such officials were ministers of science and technology as well as health; 18 officials who were deputy heads of the People’s Supreme Court, the People’s Supreme Procuratorate, and ministries, commissions and agencies directly under the State Council; 30 who were vice governors, chairpersons or mayors in the country’s 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; 362 who were deputy heads of the people’s governments in the country’s 401 cities (prefectures, leagues and districts); 36 who were deputy heads of provincial-level courts and procuratorates; and 231 who were deputy heads of prefectural- and municipal-level courts and procuratorates.

　　According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 2,100 persons who are not CPC members who are full-time members of the leading groups of local-level colleges and junior colleges (not including privately run and independent colleges), provincial-level research institutions and state-owned enterprises, and provincial- and municipal-level mass organizations and more than 400 are heads. Twenty-nine are college presidents, 277 are college vice presidents, 20 are junior college presidents, and 105 are junior college vice presidents.

　　The State Council and local governments at all levels have appointed 964 persons who are members of the democratic parties or without party affiliation as counselors in their advisory offices, and 1,665 such persons serve as officials in central and local institutes of literature and culture.

　　There are 97 persons who are members of the democratic parties or without party affiliation now working for the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Supervision, Ministry of Land and Resources, National Audit Office, and State Administration of Taxation in a special capacity as prosecutors, education superintendents, supervisors, supervisors of land and resources, auditors and taxation supervisors. Provincial-level governments have more than 2,200 persons who are members of the democratic parties or without party affiliation working in a special capacity in various areas.