Political Institutions of the
People’s Republic of China
SOSC 152
Legislature
Military
CCP
Judicial
Executive
Key Characteristics of
Political System
► Political
system dominated by the CCP
► Highly bureaucratized—”the permanent
bureaucratic society.”
► Power based partly on “power of posts”
► Highly centralized system, with top leaders
wielding enormous power; “Mao in
command” model.
Unstable Institutions and
Importance of Personal Power
► But
(1) power also based on personal
relations—”guanxi”—who is your political
network?
► Deng Xiaoping mobilized whole country to
speed up reforms in 1992 when his only
formal post was President of Chinese Bridge
Association.
Deep State Penetration into Society
► 2.
CCP penetrated down to village level
through party committees (1,000 people).
► In Qing Dynasty, county government was
lowest level of state power (200,000
people).
► In cities, CCP has penetrated down to
neighborhood committees
Horizontal Control by CCP
Committees at all Levels of Hierarchy
3. Every level of government or
administrative hierarchy has party
committee which can monitor the
government at that level.
► Party committees tend to dominate local
decisions—can intervene in economic
decisions.
►
The Structure of Political System
► administrative
hierarchy of government,
legislatures, courts and the CCP.
► Running from Central government in Beijing,
to provinces, municipalities (district), county,
township, administrative village, natural
villages.
► But today, Communist Party dominates all
aspects except the economy.
National Party Congress
CPPCC
NPC Standing
Committee
Provincial-level
People’s Congresses
County-level
People’s Congresses
Township People’s
Congresses
Representative Village
Committee
Legislative
Prime Minister
Central Committee
Politburo
National People’s
Congress
President &
Vice President
Central Discipline
Inspection
Commission
Secretariat
Organization Dept
Rural Work Dept
Propaganda Dept
Provincial-level Party
Committees
Standing
Committee of
the Politburo
Supreme
People’s
Court
Supreme
People’s
Procurator
Military Affairs
Commission
Ministries and
Commissions
Provincial-level
Government
Prefecture
Governments
County-level Party
Committees
County-level
Governments
Township Party
Committees
Township
Governments
Party
State
Councilors
State
Council
Municipal Party
Committees
Village Party
Committees
Vice Premier
Provincial-level
Bureaus
Prefecture
Bureaus
Intermediate
& Lower
Court &
Procurators
County-level
Bureaus
Village
Committee
Executive
Judicial
Party
National Party Congress
Central Committee
Politburo
Central Discipline
Inspection
Commission
Secretariat
Organization Dept
Rural Work Dept
Propaganda Dept
Provincial-level Party
Committees
Municipal Party
Committees
Country-level Party
Committees
Township Party
Committees
Village Party
Committees
Standing
Committee of
the Politburo
Military Affairs
Commission
Standing Committee of Politburo
(SC-PB)
Most powerful people in China!
►
►
►
Controls all aspects of political system
Currently 9 members—has been as few as 5
most members control one of key SIX “systems”
1.
2.
3.
4.
party affairs—relations with other CCPs and party life.
organizational affairs—allocates all party positions
propaganda and education-education, news, colleges
political and legal affairs—responsible for courts, police,
“strike hard campaign”
5. finance and economics—led by Prime Minister
6. Military—CCP tries to maintain civilian control of army
You’re Nobody if you’re not on the
Central Committee!!
► All
key power brokers either full or alternate
members of CC-CCP.
► Meets in Plenary Session about twice a year to
approve important policy decisions, can totally
redirect previous policy and take China in new
direction:
- Reform era began in with 3rd Plenum of Eleventh
CC in December 1978, Deng overturned strategy
outlined by Hua Guofeng in July 1977 at 11th PC.
Party Secretariat and
Its Key Departments
► Organizational
Dept.— responsible for all
party posts, key government posts, and is a
key position to affect succession.
► Propaganda Dept.—monitors press, tv,
organizes ideological study campaigns.
► Rural Work Dept.—makes rural policy.
► People’s Daily— top CCP newspaper and
editorial board making public policy
President &
Vice President
Prime Minister
Vice Premier
Executive
Organizations
State
Council
Ministries and
Commissions
(the government)
Provincial-level
Bureaus
Prefecture
Governments
Country-level
Governments
Township
Governments
Village
Committee
Provincial-level
Bureaus
Prefecture
Bureaus
Country-level
Bureaus
State Councilors
State Council
► High
degree of
overlapping
directorship —Prime Minister often 3rd
ranking member of SC-PB.
► Some Vice Premiers are members of PB-SC
or Politburo.
► Prime Minister needs support of General
Secretary of CCP to push policies.
Legislature
(makes the laws)
CPPCC
National People’s
Congress
NPC Standing
Committee
Provincial-level
People’s Congresses
Country-level People’s
Congresses
Township People’s
Congresses
Representative Village
Committee
Legislative
China’s Parliament:
National People’s Congress
►
►
►
►
►
►
Meets every 5 years to elect government leaders-President, PM, Vice Premiers, all approved before by PB-SC.
Also, meets yearly to address key issues related to legal
affairs, financial affairs, etc.
Mostly rubber stamp, as laws or key decisions originate
with CCP, approved by CCP’s committees.
During NPC, top leaders visit provincial delegations, discuss
regional problems.
Centre for popular input into laws and economy through its
committees; professionals may work with committees.
Major event in 1987 when only 2/3 of NPC members
supported Three Gorges Dam, 1/3 abstained.
Military Affairs Commission
Mao: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”
► Directly under Standing Committee of Politburo.
► General Secretary of CCP usually Chair of MAC
► Vice-Chair may be civilian, other posts belong to
military.
► Jiang Zemin held this post 1 year after giving up
head of CCP, hoping it would provide leverage
over Hu Jintao.
How does the CCP
Control the Military?
Mao: “The Party must always control the gun, the gun
must never control the Party.”
► Military Affairs Committee (MAC)
► budgetary allocations from State Council and
Ministry of Finance
► Political Commissars--every military unit has CCP
official who maintains party authority.
► Overlapping membership in CC-CCP and Politburo,
but no member of PB-SC for many years.
Power of PLA Ebbs and Flows
► Military
has power to speak out on Taiwan issues
and perhaps Sino-US relations.
► Chaos of Cultural Revolution forced Mao to call in
army in 1968, army had influence for many years.
► Military failure in war with Vietnam in
1979budget cuts until 1989, when it saved CCP
by attacking students in Tiananmen Square on
Deng’s commands.
► 12-14% annual increase in spending; official
defense budget--US$30 billion, foreign estimates-US$90 billion.
Map of China
Center
Province and Provincial Level Cities
(Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Tianjin)
Rural
County
Municipality
Urban
Township
Urban Distinct
Administrative
Village
Residence
Committee
Natural Village
Party Penetrates the Government
►
►
►
►
Every government office, university
department, or enterprise, has a party
branch and party secretary.
Province, has governor and party secretary
-- latter has greater authority.
In state-owned factory, party secretary
wields greater power than manager.
Politics permitting, the Party Secretary will
try to intervene in economic decisions.
Territorial Party Committees
► Party
Committee at each level of
administrative hierarchy dominates.
► Often interferes in government decisions.
► Members responsible for education, industry,
agriculture, population control, propaganda,
and selection of key government officials at
next level down through Organizational
Department.
Central Committee
Secretariat
Organizational Department
Lists of Post:
Nomenklatura
System and the
Power of
Appointment
Chinese Academy of Science
LIST:
•President
Ministry of Education
•Vice President
LIST:
•Members of Party
Core Group
•Minister
•Head of Discipline
Inspection Group
► Key
•Party
Secretary
•Members
of Party
Core Group
Beijing University
LIST:
•Party Secretary
•President of University
to party control over personnel appointments
and source of its power over government
Overlapping Hierarchy
Guangzhou Party
Organization Department
County
Level
Guangzhou Municipal
Government
Guangzhou Municipal
Energy Department
Zhongshan County
CCP Committee
CCP County
Organization
Department
Zhongshan County
Energy Department
Zhongshan County
Government
No Independent Judiciary
► Personal
power dominates China--”rule of man” over
the “rule of law.”
► Officials like it this way, enhances their authority.
► all lower levels judges appointed and paid by county
party committee.
► Outsiders rarely win in another city—Chongqing firm
won’t sue Shanghai for IPR infringement because it
cannot win in Shanghai.
Politics of the Courts
► Older
judges ex-officers with no judicial training.
► Crimes deemed sensitive or impacting social order
can be judged purely on political terms.
► Forced confessions acceptable, defendants have
great difficulty proving police made false arrest.
► New generation of judges, some with foreign
education
► Case of young judge ruling for Central government
against local People’s Congress led to political
attack on her (NYT).
Comparing Political
Institutions in
Socialist Countries
SOSC 152
A. Introductory Comments:
1. Unstable political institutions
► despite totalitarian image, major shifts in
power among major political institutions.
► despite rules outlining when organizations will
meet, rules often broken, party congresses
often did not meet
► low level of political institutionalization
Why?
1. Unstable political institutions
►
a. Charismatic leadership, where
individual power often more important
than formal political position.
►
b. constant political competition
without institutionalized succession
procedures leads individuals to try to
control organizations which they use
to advance their own power.
1. Unstable political institutions
► c.
Result is "Shifting Locus of Authority"
 shifts among State Council, Politburo, Party Secretariat,
Military Affairs Commission
 Mao's big push for collectivization not made in
Politburo or Central Committee
 Deng's recreation Secretariat in 1981 to undermine
Hua Guofeng's posts of Party Chairman and prime
minister.
► d.
very limited role for Constitution which is often
revised
 Constitution seen more as benchmark for shifts in
historical periods than as unchanging document which
has legitimacy or which divides power or authority
among institutions.
2. Efforts to ensure party control over army
► occurs through budgetary control, dual
penetration, overlapping authority
3. Overlapping rulership and overlapping
authority
► people wear several hats, military, party,
government
► same decision often open to influence by
competing organizations and individuals
4. Unclear and weak property rights
► allows for competing claims to industry and goods
► allows political power, rather than clear
contractural agreements, to determine control
over resources.
5. Heavy bureaucracy due to planned
economy
► central planning created large economic
bureaucracy
► party efforts to control the economy created
parallel structure
► heritage of central
B. Three Main Organizations: Party,
Government, and Military
Party:
1. Organizational Principles
► a. Hierarchical top down system,
 local organizations as policy implementors
 lower levels report to upper levels,
 elections from bottom up usually predetemined by next
higher level
► b.
Democratic Centralism
 lower levels obey upper levels, minority must obey
majority,
 debate possible until decision made, then everyone
must obey.
1. Organizational Principles
► c.
Dual Hierarchy of Party committess for all
government and military organizations
 primary party organization wherever 3 members in an
organization
 party group in all organizations to insure following party
policy
► d.
Nomenklatura: key control structure
 "list of names" or positions
 Organizational Bureau responsible for all key positions
in government and party
2. Party Congresses
► party congresses occur at all levels of the system
► rally of the faithful to elect party committees
which are full-time representatives between Party
Congresses
► a.
National Party Congress, elects Central
Committee, which elects Politburo and Standing
Committee of Politburo (most important
organization)
 each member of Standing Committee or Politburo sits
atop one of 5 "KOU"
 industry, agriculture, public security and law, foreign
affairs, culture and education.
2. Party Congresses
►
b. Party Secretariat
 core center of party bureaucracy, parallel structure for all
functional arenas or KOU
 power shifts over time, strong under Deng in 1950s, closed during
Cultural Revolution
 Stalin used it to control party local elections which allowed him to
control membership in Central Committee, which allowed him to
carry out purges
 Central Committee meets in Party Plenum to map out major
policies between congresses
►
c. Military Affairs Commission
 Party committee to control the army
 top military leaders also members, so reverse penetration can
occur
 leads General Political Department, responsible for party and
ideology in military