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 QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Hu Jintao President Wu Bangguo Wen Jiabao Chair, People’s Congress Premier Jia Qinglin Li Changchun Chair, People’s “Propaganda Consultative Conf. Chief” QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. 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