The National People's Congress: The Highest Organ of State Power
The National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China is the highest organ of the state power. Its permanent organ is the Standing Committee of the Congress. The Congress and its Standing Committee exercise the legislative power of the state. The National People’s Congress is composed of deputies elected by provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, special administrative regions and the army. All ethnic minorities should be appropriately represented.
The National People’s Congress serves for five years and meets once a year. Normally the session of the National People’s Congress is held in the first quarter of each year and is convened by the Standing Committee of the Congress. When the National People’s Congress meets, it elects its presidium to preside over the meeting. If the Standing Committee deems it necessary or if more than one fifth of the deputies to the National People’s Congress propose, the Congress may convene the session temporarily.
The Presidency: The Head of State
The President of the People’s Republic of China is the head of state, as well as the supreme representative of China both internally and externally. The President is the national representative of the People’s Republic of China and one of the state organs. The state presidency is an independent state apparatus and a component part of China’s State organization. China’s system of the head of state is a system of collective leadership. The president is subordinate to the NPC and directly receives instructions from the supreme organ of the state power.
The system of the Presidency of the People’s Republic of China has undergone a process of development. It was established after the first National People’s Congress which was held in 1954 and was suspended in 1968. The Constitution adopted in 1975 deleted the provisions concerning the “President of the People’s Republic of China” and abolished the post. In 1982, the Constitution restored the establishment of the President and Vice- President.
The President and Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China are elected by the National People’s Congress, and each term of office is the same as that of the National People’s Congress. To date, seven persons have held the office of the president of the People’s Republic of China, i.e. Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Li Xiannian, Yang Shangkun, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and the current president Xi Jinping.
The State Council: The Highest Executive and Administrative Organ
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China, namely the Central People’s Government, is the highest executive organ of the state power, as well as the highest organ of state administration. The State Council is composed of a premier, vice- premiers, state councilors, ministers in charge of ministries and commissions, the auditor-general and the secretary-general. The premier of the State Council is nominated by the president, reviewed by the NPC, and appointed and removed by the president. Other members of the State Council are nominated by the premier, reviewed by the NPC or its Standing Committee, and appointed and removed by the president. In the State Council, a single term of each office is five years, and incumbents cannot be reappointed after two successive terms. The incumbent premier of the PRC is Li Keqiang.
The Party and the Multi - party Cooperation System
The Communist Party of China is the party in power in the country. The CPC has both central and local organizations. At the top is the Central Committee and, when it is not in session, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee exercise the power of the Central Committee. Both the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee are elected by the plenary session of the Central Committee.
Multi-party Cooperation and the Political Consultative System
Apart from the Communist Party of China, there are eight democratic parties in China. Multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC is the basic political system of China. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a united front organization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and an organ for various other political parties, mass organizations and personages of various social circles to take part in the governance of the state.
All the democratic parties have participated in the consultations and decisions concerning important issues in the state’s political life. Many representatives of the democratic parties have been elected deputies to the people’s congresses and members of the committees of the CPPCC at various levels. Many members of the democratic parties hold leading posts in the standing committees of the people’s congresses, the committees of the CPPCC, government organs, and economic, cultural, educational, scientific, and technological departments at various levels. The democratic parties of China are neither parties out of office, nor opposition parties, but friendly parties that “coexist over a long period of time, engage in mutual supervision, show utter devotion to each other and share honor and disgrace, weal and woe” with the CPC. They are parties participating in government and political affairs.
