Who governs China?
誰治理中國
Perth High School Confucius Classroom
Introductory Presentation 3
Chinese Government
• For many centuries China
was an empire, ruled by a
succession of emperors.
• From 1911 it became a
republic ruled by a party
called the Kuomintang.
• Since 1949 it has been a
socialist country, governed
by the Communist Party.
The Communist Revolution
• The Chinese Revolution
was led by Mao Zedong (
毛澤東)
• Under his control, the
Communist Party took
control of China on October
1st,1949.
• He and his associates
established the state and
party systems which exist
today.
Who Governs China?
• Since the Revolution, China has
been a one-party state
• This does NOT imply that
government is a simple or
unchanging process
• The Communist Party of China
(CPC) controls all layers of
government
• The National Congress of the CPC
meets every 5 years to appoint all
senior officials and set major policy.
• The 17th Congress took place in
October 2007.
Layers of Government
• Communist Party of China
• Central government
• Local government province/city, county, etc
• Think-tanks, advisers
• Civil society: business, Nongovernmental organisations
(NGOs)
Central Government
The primary organs of power in the
Communist Party (CCP) include:
– The Politburo Standing Committee (7-9
people);
– The Politburo (including the members of
the Politburo Standing Committee) (22-26
people);
– Central Committee (204 people)
– The Secretariat (the main administrative
mechanism of the CCP), headed by the
General Secretary;
– The Military Commission;
– The Discipline Inspection Commission,
(seeks to rooting out corruption and
criminality among party cadres).
– State Structure
Politburo Standing Committee
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Hu Jintao
President
Wu Bangguo Wen Jiabao
Chair, People’s
Congress
Premier
Jia Qinglin
Li Changchun
Chair, People’s “Propaganda
Consultative Conf.
Chief”
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Xi Jinping
Le Keqiang
Vice-President
Executive
Vice-President
He Guoqiang Zhou Yongkang
Chair, Central
Head, Political &
Discipline Comm’n Legislative Affairs Comm’n
The Central Government
• Executive: State
Council
– Premier
– Vice-Premiers
– 22 Ministries
• Legislature: National
People’s Congress
The President
• President Hu Jintao is the
7th to hold office since the
Revolution
• Born in 1942, he joined
the Party in April 1964.
• Previously he was VicePresident to Jiang Zemin
• He is also General
Secretary of the CPC
(Communist Party of
China)
The National People’s
Congress
Provincial & City Governments
Local Government in China
There are 33 Provincial-level Governments:
–
–
–
–
22 Provinces
5 “Autonomous Regions"
4 Cities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin)
2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and
Macao)
Local Government in China
the layers of responsibility
The Party - State
The Party controls China by:
• Giving broad policy direction - the ‘Party
line’
• Ministers/local officials are party
members
• Making appointments & promotions
• Maintaining media controls
The Party - State (part 2)
The Party-state dominates:
• The centralised political system
• Policy making and it influences:
– business
– think-tanks
– NGOs
– international organisations
– media