CHINESE GOVERNMENT

Understanding the structure and issues facing the government in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is important due to its evoloving role in Chinese society and increasing global influence. Just as in some ways our cultures have been shaped by how our governments are structured and how they perform, understanding the Chinese government is critical to understanding certain issues within China itself.

When communicating with people from nations other than your own, it is helpful to have an understanding of governement structure, as well as knowing roles and names of key players in current political positions.

The goal of this module is to provide knowledge and information about government structure in China.

THE CHINESE CONSTITUTION

The current Constitution of the Communist Party was adopted in 1982 and last amended in 2002. The current constitution has 53 articles and includes contents of General Program, Membership, Organization System, Central Organizations, Local Organizations, Primary Organizations, Party Cadres, Party Discipline, Party Organs for Discipline Inspection, Leading Party Members’ Groups, Relationship Between the Party and the Communist Youth League, Party Emblem and Flag. In short, this document provides everything needed to run the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the PRC. The party runs under the principle of Democratic Centralism, which is laid out in the constitution.

PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is the highest authority within the CCP. There are roughly 300 members of the Central Committee, and they are elected by the CCP’s National Congress . The Central Committee in turn chooses the CCP’s Politburo. The Central Committee contains all of the leading members of the Communist Party, the National Government, and the Military.

While most political decisions are made within the Politburo, the Central Committee also has meaningful policy debates, unlike in the National People’s Congress, which is highly ceremonial. Meetings of the Central Committee are called Plenums, and at least one is required per year. When the Party Congress is not in session (which is most of the year), the Central Committee is in charge of Party affairs. The Central committee is elected for five year terms.

POLITBURO

The Politburo, short for political bureau, is a group of between 19 and 25 individuals who oversee the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In theory, the Politburo is appointed by the Central Committee, but in practice the members of the Politburo are determined by the members of the previous Politburo. Members of the Politburo will simultaneously hold positions in China’s national government or prominent regional positions, thus solidifying the CCP’s hold on the government. Hu Jintao is General Secretary of the CCP and President of China.

If there is an important decision to be made, or problem to be addressed, it is addressed in the Politburo first, which decides the course of action for the rest of the government. Briefly put, the buck stops there. On average, the Politburo meets once a month, and its Standing Committee meets weekly. The agenda for these meetings is set by the General Secretary. The Politburo is elected for five year terms.

It is extremely difficult for a person to become a member of the Politburo. Because of the tight control that is exercised by current Politburo members, new members are only appointed after serious, extensive investigation, and agreement amongst the current Politburo’s membership. It is extremely important for a prospective member of the Politburo to not have made serious enemies in his/her rise up the party structure, or else s/he could find his nomination derailed.

PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT

The Propaganda Department is the branch of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which is in charge of media censorship and content control in the PRC. The department gives guidelines to all official media outlets in the PRC and instructs them on what is and is not to be discussed about certain state policies, for example the Falun Gong religious movement or the Dalai Lama. The department is highly secretive, and does not publicly state what it wants reported, but rather uses secret communications with the major news and information organizations within the PRC.

The department operates through the General Administration of Press and Publication as well as the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, which serve as the official vehicles responsible for content. While the advent of the internet and cellular phones has made it more difficult for the Propaganda Department to silence dissenting views, it is still highly effective as these forms of information can only travel through informal channels.

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