Chinaisasocialistcountryundertheleader颅shipoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC).China鈥檚politicalsysteminvolvesmulti-partycooperationandpoliticalconsultationundertheleadershipoftheCPC;itisdescribedasasocialistsystemwithChinesecharacteristics.
Chinahaseightnon-communistparties,suchastheRevolutionaryCommitteeoftheChineseKuomintang,theChinaDemocraticLeague,theChinaAssociationforPromotingDemocracy,andtheJiusanSociety.Together,thesepartiessupporttheleadershipoftheCPC.
TheChinesePeople鈥檚PoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC)isapatrioticunitedfrontorganizationfortheChinesepeopleandanimportantinstitutionformulti-partycooperationandpoliticalconsultationundertheleadershipoftheCPC.CPPCCconsistsofrepresentativesfromtheCPC,non-communistparties,democratswithoutpartyaffiliation,massorganizations,representativesofallethnicgroupsandtrades,representativesfromTaiwan,HongKong,MacaoandreturnedoverseasChineseandinvitees.ThemajorfunctionsoftheCPPCCarepoliticalconsultationanddemocraticsupervision.TheCPPCCorganizestheparticipatingparties,organizationsandrepresentativesofallethnicgroupsandtradestotakepartinthegovernmentmanagementanddiscusspoliticalaffairs.
China鈥檚statestructure
China鈥檚stateinstitutionsincludetheNationalPeople鈥檚Congress(NPC),thePresidentofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChina,theStateCouncil,theCentralMilitaryCommission,localpeople鈥檚congressesandlocalpeople鈥檚governments,autonomousinstitutionsoflocalethnicautonomousdistricts,people鈥檚courtsandpeople鈥檚procuratorates.
TheNPCisthesupremelegislativebodyandthebodyofsupremepoliticalpower.Itismadeupofrepresentativeselectedinprovinces,autonomousregions,municipalitiesdirectlyundertheCentralGovernment,specialadministrativeregionsandfromthearmedforces.ItsstandingorganistheStandingCommitteeoftheNPC.ItisresponsibleforrevisingtheConstitutionofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChina,supervisingtheenforcementoftheconstitution,makingandrevisingcriminallaws,civillawsandotherbasiclaws,andelectingstateleaders.ThepresidentandvicepresidentofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChinaareelectedbytheNPC.AllcitizensofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChinawhohavetherighttovoteandtostandforelectioncanbeelectedpresidentandvicepresidentofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChina.
TheStateCouncilistheexecutivebodyofthesupremepowerorganandthesupremeadministrativeorgan.Itrepresentsthestateandthegovernment.TheCentralMilitaryCommissionofthePeople鈥檚RepublicofChinaleadsthenation鈥檚armedforces.Thepeople鈥檚courtsarethejudicialauthorities,andthepeople鈥檚procuratoratesarethelegalsupervisoryorgans.
LocalgovernmentsinChinarefertoprovince,cityorcounty,andtownship-levelgovernments.Localpeople鈥檚governmentsaretheadministrativeorgansatvariouslevels.Regionalethnicautonomyisadoptedinregionswhereethnicminoritiesaredenselypopulated.Ethnicautonomyisestablishedatfourlevels:autonomousregions,autonomousprefectures,autonomouscountiesandautonomoustownships.Forinstance,XinjiangiscalledtheXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegionandTibetiscalledtheTibetAutonomousRegion.
Chinahas23provinces,fourmunicipalities,fiveautonomousregionsandthetwospecialadministrativeregionsofHongKongandMacao.Theheadsoflocalgovern颅mentsatvariouslevelsarecalledgovernors,mayors,headsofcountyandheadsoftownship.Theheadsofautonomousregionsarecalledchairpersons.Chairpersonsofautonomousregions,headsofautonomousprefecturesandheadsofautonomouscountiesmustbecitizensfromthoseparticularethnicgroups.
AneditedexcerptfromWheninChina:AGuidetoChineseBusinessCulturepublishedbySinolinguaCo.Ltd.