Chapter 30 2. China's political system

China, the full name of which is "The People's Republic of China" (the capital is Beijing), was founded on October 1, 1949 under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (PPC) and Mao Zedong.After the founding of the People's Republic of China, China successively promulgated four constitutions in 1954, 1975, 1978 and 1982, and revised the constitution many times, the last time being in 2004. The 1982 constitution embodies former leader Deng Xiaoping's will to create a durable state regime that would ensure stability, modernization, institutional reform, and government restructuring.The constitution emphasized the adjustment of power and civil rights and duties (religious belief, right to vote and stand for election at 18 years old, etc.) to correct past mistakes ("Cultural Revolution").

In a local electoral system, citizens elect their representatives, who then vote for higher-level representatives, eventually up to the national level.At the highest level, most representatives are elected by the Chinese Communist Party.In the constitutional amendment of March 14, 2004, the law on private property rights and respect for human rights was voted on, and the state guarantees these civil rights. China's political system includes legislatively codified powers, political institutions, and government agencies.State power is controlled by state institutions on the one hand, and by Chinese Communist Party institutions on the other.The latter plays a major role.

The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee are the heads of the Chinese government as a whole.Lower levels implement decisions from higher levels—a principle that ensures top-down stability, given the size of the country, its diverse population, and the relative autonomy of provincial governments. The Congress of the Communist Party of China is held every five years, each lasting more than ten days.The meeting elects the Central Committee for the next five years, which meets at least once a year.It will elect a general secretary, members of the Politburo, and pass the Politburo's recommendations in line with the guidelines of the supreme leader.The Central Committee currently has 198 members.

The National People's Congress exercises legislative power.The NPC meets at least once a year, with around 3,000 delegates in attendance.The National People's Congress appoints the president, vice-president and prime minister of the republic to exercise the right to amend the constitution.Each village, city, and province has a people's congress, which elects a higher-level parliament. The State Council is the executive branch.It is chaired by the Prime Minister and also includes the heads of government agencies and departments.There are about 50 members of the State Affairs Committee. In 2011, the State Council was headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, who is also the head of the Chinese government.

The Supreme People's Court is the highest court in China's legal system.The president of the Supreme People's Court must be appointed by the National People's Congress.Many other judicial institutions are subordinate to the Supreme People's Court. The term of office of the President of the People's Republic of China is five years and may be re-elected once, that is, the maximum term of office is ten years.Since November 2002, Hu Jintao has served as the country's president.The chairman is elected by the National People's Congress, who represents the People's Republic of China.He promulgates laws through the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, appoints members of the State Council, ratifies treaties, leads state affairs, and more.The National People's Congress can remove the chairman from office.When Hu Jintao stepped down in 2012, his successor was chosen by the Presidium of the National People's Congress.

Two major annual meetings: Every March, China holds the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.China's most important events and issues will be discussed in the two sessions, including social, political and economic aspects. If the Communist Party and the legislature determine the general policy, then the national government departments implement the promulgated policies.Likewise, the provinces are led on the one hand by the Chinese Communist Party Committee and on the other hand by local government departments, which are also headed by governors and regional governments.China's provinces have a vast geographical area and a large population.Departments are subdivided into smaller regions, municipalities (the size of a French department), arrondissements, communes, villages or settlements.

Due to the particularity of China, in general, the Chinese Constitution divides China into the following administrative regions: provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central People's Government, and special administrative regions. However, these administrative divisions may appear to us to be complex.Overall, we can say that China has four major levels of administrative regions: Province regions and major cities County (population and size comparable to a French department) Township China currently has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions: Hong Kong and Macau.