Party On: Understanding Who Controls the Country

Communism is an ideology that stands for the redistribution of resources: from each according to ability, to each according to need. In practice, one political party controls the social, political, and economic activity of the country.

The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the ruling party, but it leaves room for the establishment of others. The CCP is supposed to get its ideas from the people. In reality, it’s more of a top-down than bottom-up government. China has more than one political party, but the other parties exist to bolster the CCP.

The government structure has three bodies:

✓	The Chinese Communist Party (CCP): Establishes policies and direction for the country
✓	The state: Implements and carries out the policies through various branches, councils, and ministries
✓	The military (People’s Liberation Army, or PLA): Provides security and enforcement on a national level

Overall, the CCP runs China’s national, provincial, and local governments as well as the military. The following sections fill you in on government roles and some of the major players. The structure can be confusing for foreigners, but the chart at www.uschina.org/index/browse.php?cat=166 can help clarify.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

The CCP started out with fewer than 100 members in Shanghai in 1921. Now headquartered in Beijing, the capital city of China, it has about 70 million members.

The CCP has formal authority. It sets policy and controls the agenda, and the state carries out the CCP decisions. Today, the Chinese Communist Party is in total control!

The general secretary of the CCP — the top dog in the party — runs the show. The general secretary is also the president of China. (Note: The president title is ceremonial — having the president post alone doesn’t mean you have any power.) He or she also manages all the committees under the National People’s Congress (NPC), the government’s legislative body (see the section “The People’s Congress and other lawmakers” later in this chapter).

The highest-ranking party officials — including the general secretary — are part of the Central Committee. It’s the highest authority within the CCP, but it doesn’t exercise authority over the state. The committee is a very small group of people who are part of the inner circle of party officials who run the show. These powerful people have a lot of clout.

For more information about the CCP, go to their official Web site: www.china.org.cn/english/features/44506.htm.

The state

The second body of China’s government is the state. It includes the State Council, the president, the National People’s Congress, and various ministries and commissions.

The State Council and its ministries and commissions

The State Council is the main supreme executive body, which means that it has the power to decide how to enforce China’s laws. The State Council can also make laws. Its leaders — the premier (the head of the government), several vice premiers, and various commissioners — are the next highest-ranking big shots in China after the general secretary of the Communist Party (who doubles as president of China, or head of state). About 50 leaders in the State Council have voices running the administration for the government. The State Council technically reports to the National Peoples Congress (NPC), the central government’s legislative branch (see the next section).

The ministers and government officials who lead China’s 28 ministries and commissions report to the State Council leaders. These officials include such heavyweights as the Minister of Finance, the Minster of Commerce, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Others reporting to the State Council include key Chinese organizations such as the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission, the state-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission, and the Xinhua News Agency. (The Xinhua news agency stands for the New China news agency, and it handles all the public relations and government news for the CCP.)

The People’s Congress and other lawmakers

The People’s Congresses are part of the legislative government body. They have many different levels that eventually decide who represents the local people at the national level. China holds elections for local People’s Congress representatives. Of course, candidates for the elections must be nominated by the CCP. In reality, the political leaders at the top of the government pick the people they want to move up. The hierarchy works like this:

Those who are elected at the highest level get to participate as members of the National People’s Congress (NPC). The NPC has fewer than 3,000 members who are elected to five-year terms. A Standing Committee of the NPC consists of 170 full-time members. Its members draft most of the NPC’s laws.

The planning and elections take place every five years. The NPC meets every year in the Great Hall of the People, but the first year that the NPC meets is really the most important — at that time, the members approve the agenda for the next five years and also elect the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (see the earlier section on the CCP). The Central Committee sits above the rest of the NPC (which is called the General Committee) and really runs the show — it includes the top ten or so most senior Chinese party officials.

Several other branches of the government have the ability to make or change laws, including the State Council and some of the 28 ministries. Sometimes you encounter conflicts in the law because more than one government body has the right to make laws. The laws do follow some form of hierarchy. For instance, the State Council enacts far more laws than the NPC, but when the NPC passes a law, it’s superior to State Council laws. The Supreme Court sorts out these conflicts.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

The third branch of the government is the powerful People’s Liberation Army (PLA). As the most populated country in the world, China also has the biggest army. The PLA has more than 2 million soldiers! In practice, it’s a voluntary army, though registering with the PLA is mandatory for all men when they turn 18 years old.

As the PLA reports into the party, it supports government policy. The PLA technically reports to two military commissions and not the State Council. The heads of the military commissions are civilian members of the CCP. In the end, the PLA reports to the president of China (see “The Chinese Communist Party [CCP],” earlier in this chapter). Here’s the main thing you need to understand about the PLA and the government: The Communist Party is in control.