CHINA’S POLITICAL PARTY SYSTEM

Part Three

IV. Political Consultation in the Multiparty Cooperation System

　　Political consultation is a major aspect of China’s multiparty cooperation system. The Communist Party of China (CPC) consults with the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation on major state principles and policies and key state affairs before making decisions and in the process of implementing the decisions. This is a vital link in the scientific and democratic decision-making process as well as an important means for the CPC to enhance its governance capability. After many years of practice, two basic modes of political consultation in the multiparty cooperation system have been formed. One is the CPC’s consultation with the democratic parties, and the other is its consultation with the democratic parties and representatives from all circles at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

　　The CPC Central Committee carries out political consultations with the central committees of the democratic parties on important documents of the CPC national congresses and the CPC Central Committee, proposed amendments to the Constitution and major laws, candidates for state leaders, significant decisions on pushing forward reform and opening up, medium- and long-term plans for national economic and social development, issues having a great bearing on the state as a whole, and other important matters as necessary. Moreover, the CPC briefs the democratic parties on key documents and events, and solicits their comments and suggestions on them.

　　The major forms of political consultation between the CPC Central Committee and the central committees of the democratic parties are: The Central Committee invites leaders of the democratic parties to democratic consultative conferences to discuss state policies and principles it will introduced; top leaders of the Central Committee hold high-level, small-scope heart-to-heart talks with leaders of the democratic parties to exchange views and ideas as required by the situation; the Central Committee or an agency it authorizes convenes forums participated by the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation to brief them on or discuss important issues, and solicit policy-related proposals from the democratic parties or discuss certain special topics. Apart from consultation meetings, the central committees of the democratic parties can present to the Central Committee their written proposals on state policies and principles and other important issues.

　　The political consultation between the Central Committee and the central committees of the democratic parties proceeds in the following steps: The Central Committee brings forward an annual plan for political consultation in accordance with the priorities of work; the central committees of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation are informed of the topics for consultation and provided with relevant materials in advance; the central committees of the democratic parties make arrangements for their representatives to read the documents, conduct surveys and research, discuss the topics and bring up suggestions and proposals; democracy is fully exercised in the course of consultation, suggestions and proposals widely solicited, and common ground sought while reserving differences; and the Central Committee studies the collected suggestions and proposals carefully, and gives prompt feedback to the central committees of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation about the follow-up actions on their suggestions and proposals.

　　Since the 1990s, the Central Committee has strengthened its consultation with the democratic parties on more and more topics in accordance with increasingly standardized procedures. From 1990 to the end of 2006, the Central Committee and State Council, and the agencies they authorized, organized more than 230 consultative conferences, forums and briefings, of which 74 were presided over by the General Secretary of the Central Committee. Over the past three years, the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation have tabled suggestions and proposals on the opinion-solicitation drafts of many important documents, such as the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Enhancing the Party’s Governance Capability, Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Certain Major Issues Regarding the Building of a Harmonious Socialist Society, and the Guidelines of the CPC Central Committee on Further Strengthening the Building of the System of Multiparty Cooperation and Political Consultation under the Leadership of the CPC. The CPC also listens to their opinions and suggestions on candidates for leaders of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the CPPCC National Committee, amendments to the Constitution and drafts of state laws, including the Legislation Law, Anti-Secession Law, the Law on Supervision of the Standing Committees of the People’s Congresses at All Levels, the Property Rights Law, medium- and long-term plans for national economic and social development, such as the Outline of the 11th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China, as well as important matters bearing on the national economy and the people’s livelihood, e.g., the building of a new socialist countryside and the reforms of the financial, healthcare and educational systems. Many of their suggestions and proposals have been adopted by the Central Committee, the State Council and the departments concerned.

　　Furthermore, the central committees of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation have submitted to the Central Committee over 200 important written proposals. These proposals cover a wide range of subjects, including the economy, politics, society, education, science and technology, culture, health, national defense, foreign affairs, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese, and issues such as economic and social development in the Yangtze River Delta region, the Bohai rim region, the economic zone on the west coast of the Taiwan Straits and the Beibu Gulf region; reform of the compensation mechanism for exploiting the resources of the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers as well as underdeveloped regions; and the deepening of the reform of the cultural system and the promotion of traditional Chinese culture. Their proposals are highly valued and accepted by the Central Committee and State Council, and have produced good social benefits.

　　A system for local CPC committees at all levels to consult the leaders of local committees of the democratic parties at the corresponding levels on major issues of respective regions has also been established. The extensive consultation conducted by the CPC committees at all levels with the democratic parties has vigorously enhanced the CPC’s scientific and democratic decision making.

　　The CPC’s consultation with the democratic parties, personages without party affiliation and representatives from all walks of life at the CPPCC is another important way of political consultation. The CPPCC comprises members from 34 sectors, including the CPC, the democratic parties, personages without party affiliation and representatives from all sectors of society. Strengthening political consultation at the CPPCC is an essential aspect of developing socialist democracy and improving socialist political standards. Giving further play to the role of the CPPCC helps manifest and give full play to the characteristics and advantages of China’s socialist political system and political party system, and contributes to consolidating and developing a political situation characterized by democracy, solidarity, liveliness, dynamism, stability and harmony.

V. Multiparty Cooperation System and Building of State Power

　　The CPC is the ruling party in China, and it persists in ruling the country scientifically, democratically and in accordance with the law. The democratic parties are participants in state affairs and participate in the exercise of state power. In exercising state power, the CPC unites and cooperates with the democratic parties and encourages them to play their functions by participating in and discussing government and political affairs and in democratic supervision in order to improve the building of state power.

　　The people’s congresses are organs through which the Chinese people exercise state power; they are also important places where the role of members of the democratic parties is brought into play. A certain proportion of the positions of the people’s congresses, their standing committees and special committees at all levels are taken up by members of the democratic parties. Since the First Session of the 10th NPC in 2003, 177,000 members of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation have been elected as deputies to the people’s congresses at all levels, among whom seven have served as vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the NPC and 50 as Standing Committee members; 41 as vice chairpersons of the standing committees of the people’s congresses at the provincial level and 462 as their members, and 357 as vice chairpersons of the standing committees of the people’s congresses at the city level and 2,084 as their members. Performing their duties as representatives of the people, they have played an important role in participating in the enactment and amendment of the Constitution, state laws and local regulations, electing, deciding on and dismissing state and government leaders, and examining and approving national economic and social development plans and reports on their implementation, as well as state budgets and reports on their implementation. They also play an essential role in reflecting the people’s wishes by submitting motions, addressing inquiries and taking part in inspection tours and law-enforcement examinations.

　　It is a key part of the system of multiparty cooperation under the leadership of the CPC that members of the democratic parties take leadership positions in government and judicial organs. By the end of 2006, 31,000 of these members and personages without party affiliation took government official posts at and above the county or section chief level. In the areas of work of which they are in charge, they have the power to command, make decisions and nominate and remove personnel. Among these officials, 18 served as deputy leaders of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the ministries, commissions, offices and bureaus directly under the State Council; 24 served as vice governors, vice chairpersons and deputy mayors in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; 356 served as deputy mayors or vice governors of the people’s governments of 397 cities, prefectures, leagues, districts; 35 served as vice presidents of provincial courts or deputy attorneys-general of provincial procuratorates; and 141 served as vice presidents of courts and deputy attorneys-general of procuratorates at the prefecture/city level. In addition, many members of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation hold leading positions at institutions of higher learning, people’s organizations, scientific research institutes, and state-owned enterprises. For instance, 69 of them assume such posts at the 93 research institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and 38 at the 72 universities or colleges directly under the Ministry of Education. In 2007, two of them took up the positions of Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Health.

　　The State Council and local people’s governments at all levels put great emphasis on strengthening contacts with the democratic parties and have opened up new channels for them to participate in the administration and deliberation of state affairs. The major ways to keep in contact with them are as follows: the State Council convenes forums attended by leaders of the democratic parties to solicit ideas and suggestions from them on the reports of the work of the government to be submitted to the NPC for deliberation and approval, and on major state policies and administrative measures to be adopted, as well as informs them of the latest situation of national economic and social development; the State Council invites leaders of the democratic parties to attend, as nonvoting delegates, plenary meetings and related meetings of the government when necessary; the government invites representatives of the democratic parties to join inspection on anti-corruption work, overall improvement of public security and regularization of the market order; relevant government departments establish and strengthen contacts with the democratic parties in line with their given fields of work and invite leaders of the parties to attend important meetings on special topics and take part in the formulation of key policies and plans when necessary. At present, all the democratic parties, in accordance with their specialties, have established contacts with relevant departments under the State Council, and cooperated with the government departments in joint research on promoting well-rounded education, building a “Spark” science and technology belt, developing modern agriculture, popularizing the eco-homestead plan, strengthening the protection and development of marine resources, improving fiscal and taxation policies to encourage scientific and technological innovation, reforming the system of reward for scientific and technological work, implementing the state intellectual property rights strategy, and dealing with the shortage of water resources. The State Council and local governments at all levels have also invited 767 members of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation to work as counselors in their counselors’ offices, and invited 1,393 as staff members of the central and local research institutes of culture and history.

　　Members of the democratic parties have been invited to serve as special consultants in more fields. It is an important measure and institutional arrangement for them to play their role in democratic oversight to the full when the government departments and judicial organs concerned invite them to serve as special consultants. So far, 87 members of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation are working as special prosecutors, educational supervisors, special supervisors, special land resources inspectors, special auditors and special taxation supervisors at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Supervision, Ministry of Land and Resources, National Audit Office and State Administration of Taxation. Local governments at all levels have also engaged 17,000 members of the democratic parties and personages without party affiliation for similar purposes. These special experts serve as consultants and a bridge between the government and the people, and perform their democratic supervising duties by participating in law-enforcement inspection and, in research for the enactment of relevant laws and regulations, and in the investigation of major cases. For example, the National Audit Office organized special auditors to join in the major projects of auditing and investigating the implementation of the central budget, the fund for resettling residents in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, the fund for comprehensive agricultural development, funds for projects of investment, funds from World Bank loans and funds for grain bought on credit. In the last five years, the special supervisors of supervision departments at different levels received and brought to the attention of the authorities concerned over 13,600 letters of complaint from people of all walks of life, and received more than 23,800 visitors, playing a special role in increasing the contacts between the supervisory bodies and the general public.

　　Institutions enabling democratic parties to participate in key state and foreign affairs become more standardized and are playing a greater role. In recent years, the leaders of the central committee of the democratic parties attended more than 150 important foreign affairs activities, and led more than 60 delegations on overseas visits. They are invited to attend meetings between state or Central Committee leaders and visiting foreign guests. When Central Committee leaders attend major celebration ceremonies, make visits to convey regards and appreciation, and take part in commemorative activities, they also invite leaders of the democratic parties along.

　　(To be continued)