China is a country of many political parties. Apart
from the CPC, which is in power, China has eight
non-Communist parties. Since their founding the latter have
established cooperative relations with the CPC to different
extents. The non-Communist parties responded to the call put
forward by the CPC to hold the Chinese People’s
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and participated
in the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC in September 1949
with the CPC and other democratic personages, at which the
Common Program was adopted as the provisional constitution,
and the Central People’s Government was elected and
founded, hence the founding of the People’s Republic
of China. Since then, all the non-Communist parties have
earnestly participated in the consultations and decisions
concerning important issues in the state’s political
life; and many representatives of the non-Communist 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 non-Communist parties
hold leading posts on 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 non-Communist 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.
Communist Party of China
Founded in July 1921, the CPC today has
more than 60 million members. From 1921 to 1949, the CPC led
the Chinese people in their arduous struggles that finally
led to the overthrow of the rule of imperialism, feudalism
and bureaucrat-capitalism with the establishment of the PRC.
After the founding of New China, the CPC led the Chinese
people of all ethnic groups in defending the independence
and safety of the country, successfully completing the
transition from new democracy to socialism and carrying out
systematic large-scale socialist construction, thus
achieving economic and cultural progress unparalleled in
Chinese history.
In September 1997, the CPC
convened its 15th National Congress, a gathering of historic
significance. The CPC 15th National Congress declared Deng
Xiaoping Theory the guiding ideology of the whole Party, put
forward the Party’s basic program for the primary
stage of socialism, and formulated the basic objectives and
basic policies for economic, political and cultural
development. It was clearly pointed out at the Congress that
the period from now to the end of the first decade of the
next century will be the key period for China’s
modernization drive. Therefore, it was stressed, China must
actively promote fundamental changes in the economic system
and economic growth modes, and establish a fairly complete
socialist market economy to guarantee the sustained, rapid
and healthy development of the national economy, and lay a
solid foundation for the basic realization of modernization
in the middle of the next century. Now the CPC is leading
the Chinese people in building socialism with Chinese
characteristics, and striving to achieve its ultimate
goal—communism.
The highest leading
bodies of the Communist Party of China are the national
Party congress (which is held once every five years) and the
Central Committee produced at the national Party congress.
The Central Committee holds its plenum at least once
annually. The Central Political Bureau (Politburo), the
Politburo’s Standing Committee and the general
secretary of the Central Committee are elected at a plenary
session of the Central Committee, which also decides on
members of the Central Secretariat. The Central Political
Bureau and its Standing Committee exercise the functions and
powers of the Central Committee when it is not in session.
The Central Secretariat attends to the day-to-day work
of the Politburo and its Standing Committee. The
Central Committee’s general secretary is responsible
for convening meetings of the Central Political Bureau and
its Standing Committee, and directs the work of the Central
Secretariat. Jiang Zemin is the current general secretary.
China Revolutionary Committee of the
Kuomintang Founded in January 1948, the party has more than
60,000 members. The current Central Committee chairman is He
Luli. It is for the most part composed of former Kuomintang
members and those who have historical connections with the
Kuomintang.
China Democratic League
Founded in October 1941, it now has more than
144,000 members, mostly intellectuals at fairly senior
levels. The current Central Committee chairman is Ding
Shisun.
China Democratic National Construction
Association Founded in December 1945, this party
has more than 78,000 members, most of whom are from the
economic field or academic specialists. The current Central
Committee chairman is Cheng Siwei.
China
Association for the Promotion of Democracy Founded
in December 1945, this party currently has more than 74,000
members. Its membership is mainly drawn from intellectuals
working in educational, cultural, scientific and publishing
fields. The current Central Committee chairman is Xu Jialu.
Chinese Peasants and Workers' Democratic Party
Founded in August 1930, it currently has more than
74,000 members, most of whom work in the fields of public
health, culture and education or science and technology. The
current Central Committee chairman is Jiang Zhenghua.
China Zhi Gong Dang Founded in
October 1925, this party currently has more than 18,000
members. Most of them are returned overseas Chinese,
relatives of overseas Chinese, and representative
individuals and specialists and scholars with overseas
connections. The current Central Committee chairman is Luo
Haocai.
Jiusan Society Founded in
December 1944, this party currently has more than 78,000
members. They are mostly high- and medium-level
intellectuals working in science and technology, culture and
education, or public health. The current Central Committee
chairman is Wu Jieping.
Taiwan Democratic
Self-government League Founded in November 1947,
this party has more than 1,800 members who are for the most
part people born or with family roots in Taiwan currently
residing on the mainland. The current Central Presidium
chairman is Zhang Kehui.
There are a large
number of social organizations in China, of which the major
ones are the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the
All-China Youth Federation, the All-China Women’s
Federation, and the All-China Federation of Industry and
Commerce.
All-China Federation of Trade Unions
This mass organization is the supreme leading body
of all the local trade union organizations and national
industrial union organizations in China. Founded in May
1925, it currently has 89.13 million members. The current
Executive Committee chairman is Wei Jianxing.
All-China Youth Federation Founded
in May 1949, this is a federation comprising all the youth
organizations in China. The current chairman is Bayin
Chaolu. Of the organizational members of the All-China Youth
Federation, the Communist Youth League of China is the core,
being a mass organization composed of China’s advanced
youth. Founded in May 1922, it currently has 68.71 million
members. The current Central Committee first secretary is
Zhou Qiang.
All-China Women's Federation
Founded in April 1949, this mass organization was
founded to get women from all ethnic groups and all walks of
life united to fight for women’s further emancipation.
The current Executive Committee chairwoman is Peng Peiyun.
All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce
Founded in October 1953, this people’s
association organized by people in industry and commerce
functions as a non-governmental chamber of commerce for
promoting business people’s domestic and overseas
ties. Its current Executive Committee chairman is Jing
Shuping.
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