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Government in China

The Communist Part of China (CPC) was first organized in 1921 and was able to become the dominant political party in the country by 1949. It is made up of 300 people who have the responsibility of making laws which support the will of the Chinese people. Although Communist in essence, the party has been going through some evolutionary changes which make it more capitalist in outlook in recent years.

The PRC Constitution mentions that the central state organs of the country have six components which are the National People's Congress (NPC), the Presidency of the People's Republic of China, a State Council, the Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court.

The NPC and its standing committee control the PRC Presidency, the State Council, the Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The National People's Congress meets each year but is considered merely a 'rubber stamp' body with little real power. The Communist Party Congress meets every five years and elects the members of China's governing body, the Central Committee.

There are a few other parties which are closely allied with the Communist Party. These feel obligated to cooperate with the Communist Party. The Party's aim is political security and national security as well as development within the country. Nationalism is a strong component of the Party.

The Communist Party of China has had stronger control in the past than more recently. Especially in the coastal regions of China, non-party influence on the structure of the Party has been allowed although the non-party members of society do not have authority to begin non-party organizations which could challenge the Communist Party.

The Chinese Communist Party is composed of nearly 71 million members. The Party is very strongly an authoritarian group and is still the dominant force in Chinese government. The power structure of the Chinese Communist Party is made up as a nine member Politboro Standing Committee, the Politboro itself which is made up of the nine members plus sixteen full members, the Secretariat which is headed by the General Secretary, the Central Military Commission and a Discipline Inspection Commission whose job is to keep the Party ranks clear of corruption.

The Chinese Communist Party is more in control than the official Chinese government. The government's role in the scheme is to implement the Communist policies.

The National People's Congress is the highest organ of state power in the Chinese government. The NPC meets for a couple of weeks annually to review policies, the budget and any important personnel changes.

China is a strictly one-party institution. The Chinese Communist Party is that one party. A constitution was adopted in 1982 and modified in 1993. It is the fifth constitution since the Communists took control of China in 1949.

The executive branch of the government is made up of a premier, who is the head of the government, and a president, who is the head of the state.