All power in China belongs to the people. The organs
through which the people exercise state power are the NPC
and the local people’s congresses. Therefore, the
people’s congress system is China’s fundamental
political system. Its basic characteristics are: It has
extensive representation, and is the basic form for the
people to administer the country. It follows the principle
of democratic centralism, i.e., it guarantees that the
people enjoy extensive democracy and rights, at the same
time guaranteeing that state power is exercised in a
centralized and unified way. Under the premise that the
people’s congresses exercise the state power in a
unified way, the state’s administrative power,
judicial authority, procuratorial authority and the
leadership over the armed forces are clearly divided to
ensure that the organs of state power and administrative,
judicial, procuratorial and other state organs work in a
coordinated way.
Deputies to the
people’s congresses at all levels are elected, and are
responsible to and accept supervision by the people. The
deputies are broadly representative; they include people
from all ethnic groups, all walks of life, and all regions,
classes and strata. As they come from the people, they
maintain close ties with their respective constituencies and
the electorates, and earnestly listen to their views and
demands. When the congresses meet to discuss issues
concerning major policies and principles, they can air their
views fully and carry out the decisions after they have been
made. Hence, the people’s views can be collected and
the people can administer state affairs through the
people’s congresses.
|