basic political architecture of china and its national governance modernization
TRANSCRIPT
Basic political architecture of China and its national governance
modernization
Fan Wen
Director and professor of the Politics Department, China Academy of Governance
Introduction:
Studying of the basic political architecture (political system and its structure) of China and its national governance modernization is of importance significance:
Facilitates the understanding of basic contents of Chinese political architecture;
Facilitates the understanding of current situations of Chinese national governance;
Facilitates understanding of new trends of Chinese political restructuration and national governance modernization
I. Main contents of current Chinese political architecture
1. Constitutional system• The Constitution is a fundamental law of the country.The Constitution
in effect was adopted and implemented in the fifth session of the Fifth National People’s Congress on December 4, 1982.
• The Constitution specifies main principles of the Chinese political system.
• The Constitution specifies basic rights and obligations of a citizen.• The Constitution specifies national institutions.
• 2. People’s congress system• The people’s congress system is a fundamental political
system of the country.The institution by which people exercises their authorities is the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at all levels.
• The people’s congress system is the basis on which other relevant national administration systems are established.
• 3. Multi-party cooperation and political consultation system under leadership of Chinese Communist Party
• The multi-party cooperation system under leadership of Chinese Communist Party contains the Chinese Community Party and eight democratic parties.
• The Chinese Communist Party is the ruling party.
• These democratic parties are participating parties.These eight democratic parties are Revolutionary Committee of Chinese Kuomintang, Chinese Democratic League, China Democratic National Construction Association, China National Democratic Construction Association, Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, China Zhi Gong Party, Jiu San Society, and Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League.
• The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a patriotic united front organization consisting of representatives of democratic parties, people's organizations, and social groups.
• Its basic functions include political consultation, democratic supervision, and participation in political affairs.
• 4. Regional national autonomy system• The regional national autonomy system is an important
political system enforced in the habitation places of minority nationalities.
• There are 56 nationalities in China.
• Supported by autonomous organizations, national autonomous areas exercise the authority and regional autonomy right of local governmental organs according to stipulations of the Constitution and laws.
• 5. Community level self-governance system• It means self-management, self-service, self-
education and self-supervision carried out by the masses in the urban-rural community governance, fundamental-level public affairs and public welfare undertakings. It is an important method by which people exercise their democratic rights directly.
• 6. State-head system: President• The President and Vice-President of the People's Republic of China
are elected from the National People's Congress.
• The President promulgates a law, and appoint/dismiss the Premier, Vice-Premier, State Councilors, ministers of the State Council, etc. according to decisions from both the National People‘s Congress and its Standing Committee.
• The president on behalf of the People's Republic of China is engaged on national affairs and receives foreign ambassadors; he/she dispatches and calls back plenipotentiary delegates abroad, and approves and cancels treaties and important agreements made with foreign countries, according to decisions of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress.
• 7. Administration system• The State Council of the People’s Republic of China, i.e. the Central
People’s Government, is the executive body of the organ of supreme power, and the supreme governmental administrative organs.
• Local People’s Governments at different levels are the executive bodies of local organs of state power and the local government administrative organs.
• The authority division between the Central Government and local governments is made under unified leadership of the Central Government according to the principle of fully exerting the initiative and enthusiasm of local governments.
• 8. Judicial system
• The people's courts of the People’s Republic of China are judicial organs of the country.The People's Republic of China is supported by the Supreme People's Court, local people's courts at all levels, and military courts.
• The people's procuratorates of the People’s Republic of China are legal supervision organs of the country.The People's Republic of China is supported by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, local people's procuratorates at all levels, and military procuratorates.
• 9. Military system• The Constitution specifies that, the armed forces of the
People’s Republic of China belong to the people.
• The armed forces have the tasks of consolidating the national defense, resisting against foreign invasion, defending the country, protecting the people’s peaceful labor, participating in national construction businesses, and making efforts to service the people.
• The national armed forces are under leadership of the Central Military Commission.
• 10. National public servants system• The national public servants system is a system for proper and
people-oriented management of staffs that exercise governmental administrative authorities and performs their official duties, by enacting laws and regulations.Establishment and implementation of the national public servants system is a significant reform for Chinese personnel system of cadres.
• The Civil Servants Act of the People's Republic of China was adopted in the fifteenth session of the Tenth NPC Standing Committee on April 27, 2005, and enforced since January 1, 2006.Its adoption represents basic establishment of the national public servants system.
II. Improvements of Chinese national governance
• Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, China has powerfully promoted its economic and social development by adhering to and bettering the socialist political system, and made a significant progress in political governance, economic governance, cultural governance, social governance, ecological treatment, and diplomatic relations.
• 1. Political governance• Establish the human-right principles.“China respects and
safeguards human rights” is written into the Constitution, which is a key milestone in the history of human rights development in China.
• Establish the democratic principles.China takes new steps in democratic politics construction, such solid progress of democracy at the grassroots level, election of NPC members according to the same urban and rural population proportions, abolishment of the lifelong power tenure of cadres, promotion of administrative reform, etc.
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• Establish the rule-by-law principles.China has preliminarily established its featured socialist legal system, and is moving toward its law construction.
• China officially established its National Constitution Day by means of legislation in 2014.China stresses on promotion of the Constitution’s spirit and reinforcement of the Constitution's implementation, and makes efforts to realize all of citizen rights.
• China has reduced the number of charges applicable to death penalty, cancelled the labor correction system, and carried forward the "special pardon" system, which represents its humanitarianism in penalty.
• 2. Economic governance• China has experienced quick, smooth economic development and
improved comprehensive national power with the GDP increase from several hundred billion yuan in 1978 to 63,600 billion yuan 2014, economic aggregate increase quickly from the sixth to the second economic entity, and the foreign exchange reserves climbing to the first in the world.
• In the field of science and technology, significant breakthroughs are made in respects of manned spaceflight, manned deep diving, super computer, high-speed railway, etc.
• 3. Cultural governance• China brings its cultural construction to a new stage. The
construction of public cultural service system makes a major progress and the culture industry experiences quick development, representing a blooming culture development phase in China.
• China has successfully hosted the Beijing Olympics, Shanghai World Expo, Beijing World Athletics Championships, etc.
• 4. Social governance• In the field of people’s livelihood, China improves its people’s living conditions
in the whole country.It has made significant achievements in successful construction of the social insurance system, full establishment of the urban-rural basic pension insurance system, preliminary creation of the urban-rural basic medical care system, realization of the most widespread education in the Chinese history – general promotion of the nine-year compulsory education in the country, and basic elimination of illiterate young adults, etc.In the field of rural development, the agriculture tax is canceled, and such imperial tax in China extended for more than two thousand year comes to its end.
• In the field of social administration, China successfully fights against the Wenchuan Earthquake and other major natural disasters and rebuilds the disaster-hit areas, maintaining a generally steady and harmonious society.
• 5. Ecological treatment• Focused on treatment of outstanding environment problems,
China makes efforts to safeguard the people’s environmental rights and explores the road to China-featured ecological civilization construction.
• China processes the people-environment relations properly and adheres to the sustainable development policy to build a beautiful China.
• 6. Global governance• As a permanent member state of United Nations, China plays a
greater and greater role in international affairs. China successfully hosts the 22nd Informal APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings, Boao Forum for Asia, etc.It promotes the constructions of the silk-road economic belt and 21st-century maritime silk-road, establishes the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, and sets up the silk-road fund.China shows an increasingly-obvious responsible global power in the world.
III. Further implementation of political reformsPromote the modernization of national governance
• 1. Basic ideas• Although China makes a major progress in the economic and social
development, there are some problems on its road forward: they are mainly reflected in unsound democratic mechanism, lower degree of rule by law, existence of corruptions to some extent, etc.In future, China needs to deepen its political reforms and promote the modernization of national governance.
• The modernization of national governance mainly means a democratic, rule-by-law, scientific and civilized national governance.
• The modernization of national governance is promoted with “Chinese Dreams” as a guide.“Chinese Dreams” is the important governing idea of the new central collective leadership, and its core content is to bring about a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
• The modernization of national governance is promoted with “Four Full-Achievements” as a strategic arrangement. They mean fully building up a well-off society, fully deepening the reforms, fully governing the country by law, and fully manage the Party strictly.
• 2. Develop the democratic politics• Deepen the NPC institution reforms, support and guarantee the people's
exercising of state power by means of the people’s congress system.• Deepen the reform of participatory and deliberative institutions, and improve
the participatory and deliberative institutions.The “deliberative democracy” involves comprehensive consultation, general adoption of the people’s opinions, general collection of the people's wisdoms, expansion of mutual understanding, and enhancement of resultant force in respect of major economic and social development problems and actual problems related to the people’s immediate interests, by means of national administrative organs, CPPCC organizations, parties and associations, etc.
• Improve the democratic system at the grassroots level.More attentions are paid to expansion of orderly participation, promotion of information disclosure, enhancement of discussion and consultation, and intensification of supervision over power.
• 3. Promote the construction of Chinese ruling by law• The construction of Chinese ruling by law must be promoted by
adhering to the trinity: joint implementation of ruling by law, governing by law, and administration by law.Promote the trinity of law-based country, law-based government and law-based society.
• Promote the scientific legislation, strict enforcement, judicial justice, and general abidance by law.Adhere to that everyone is equal before the law.Deepen the reforms, promote the development, handle with conflicts, and maintain the social stability by using law-based ideas and methods.
• III. Deepen the administrative reforms• Transform the governmental functions to build a service-based
government that features scientific functions, optimum structure, integrity and efficiency, and satisfaction by the people.
• Deepen the administrative examination and approval reforms, continue to simplify administration and transfer power to a lower level, and drive the transformation of governmental functions into creating a good development environment, providing high-quality public services, and maintaining social justice and fairness.
• The key point lies in handling with the relations between government and market, so as to enable the market to play a decisive role in resources allocation and exert the governmental functions.
• 5. Improve the system of restriction to and supervision over power execution
• Adhere to manage affairs and personnel by means of relevant systems, so as to enable the people to supervise the power, execute the power in the sun and restrict the power within relevant institutions.
• Improve the system of restriction to and supervision over power executionEnhance the in-party supervision, democratic supervision, legal supervision, media supervision, etc.Ensure the decision power, the execution power and the supervision power are restricted and coordinated each other, and guarantee governmental organs execute their power according to their legal authorities and procedures.
• 6. Consolidate and develop the most widespread patriotic unified front
• Unite with all forces that can be united, and promote the construction of a harmonious society.
• Pay more attention to promote harmonious party relations, ethnic relations, religious relations, social class relations, and mainland-overseas compatriot relations.
• 7. As regard international politics, China will continue to hold high the “peace, development, cooperation, and win-win” flag.
• Coordinate national with international situations, hold the main principle of adhering to peaceful development and promoting national rejuvenation, and maintain national sovereign, safety and development benefits.
• Initiate the philosophy “human beings have a common destiny”, and relate Chinese Dreams to global dreams and the dreams of other countries. Advocate the claim of joint development and prosperity of all countries in the world.
• Conclusions:• The current Chinese basic political architecture contains the people's
congress system, multi-party cooperation and political consultation system under leadership of Chinese Communist Party, regional national autonomy system, community level self-governance system, etc.
• We should in a developing view, judge China and its political system constructions.
• In future, China will deepen its political system reforms, promote the modernization of national governance, build up a well-off society and a modern country in a comprehensive manner, and make efforts to contribute more to human peace and progress!
