Politics of China

The political system of the People's Republic of China is an authoritarian, one-party socialist. The leadership of the People's Republic of China is the Communist Party (CCP ). The socialist economic and political system is enshrined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

Communist Party

The Communist Party has about 82 million members. Your hierarchy corresponds to the state of the system. The most important institutions are the Politburo of the Communist Party of China with about 20 members, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with 150 to 200 members as the central decision-making bodies. Decisions are taken in informal rounds. About the decision-making processes is not known. The party aims of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The actual political leadership of the People's Republic is a small circle of party and military officials. These reside predominantly in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Communist Party in Beijing. Here is also the seat of the chair of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China. This combines the highest offices in the state, party and army on what is referred to in English-language media as Paramount Leader. He is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, the State Council of the People 's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Currently, Xi Jinping is in these positions.

The change of leadership between two persons is not abrupt, but over a longer period. So Hu Jintao was in 2002 Secretary of the Communist Party, 2003 State President and in 2004 chairman of the Central Military Commission. The party offices in China are more important than the state offices.

Although there are eight other parties, but do not play an independent political role. These are, for example, the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang of China an offshoot of the Kuomintang, the Zhi Gong Party of China and the Democratic Self -government League of Taiwan.

Structure and organs of the state

The system of government is separated into two parts. There are the official, formal state part and the part of the Communist Party. The party penetrates the state at all levels. All organs of state are only " agents of the CCP ."

National People's Congress

The highest state authority is the National People's Congress (NPC ), the Parliament of the People's Republic of China. He embodies formal state power. It elects the president, the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, the Central Military Commission and the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. Among other things, due to its size with about 3000 delegates he normally acts only once a year. For the rest, therefore, is its Standing Committee in his place. If this or a fifth of the deputies feel it necessary, the National People's Congress meets and unscheduled.

Standing Committee

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has 150 members and is de facto the Parliament of the People's Republic of China with diverse functions. He interprets the constitution and monitor their compliance. He also formulated laws and interprets them. In addition, he oversees the work of the State Council, Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Council of State

The central administrative organ is the State Council. This takes state power. The Prime Minister stands before the State Council and chairs its work. He is liable as a representative of the State in the National People's Congress accountable. The Secretaries of State and Ministers support the Prime Minister and are responsible to him.

President

The highest civilian Office of the People's Republic of China is that of the President. The President is head of state with wide-ranging powers: It shall adopt the laws adopted by the National People's Congress, which occur only when and to thereby effect. In addition, appoints and dismisses the prime minister he and his deputies, the State Commissioners and the Minister. If necessary. he declared a state of war, and issued decrees on mobilization. He finally ratified treaties and agreements with other states.

The president is elected by the National People's Congress. May be chosen every Chinese citizen who has reached the age of 45. It can also be deselected again by the National Congress. His term of office is five years and may be elected once again.

Administrative Divisions

The People's Republic is a centralized unitary state. Due to China's large population and area have been around since the Qin Dynasty ( 3rd century BC) several administrative levels. ( December 31, 2006 Balance ) divided into Thus, the People's Republic of China is today:

• 23 provinces ( with Taiwan, which counts the PRC to their provinces )
• 333 districts ( and associate administrative units )
• 2,860 counties ( and their equivalent administrative units )
• 41 040 municipalities ( and their equivalent administrative units )
• And about a million villages and neighborhood committees.

There is also at the provincial level four directly administered cities, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions. The Communist Party is at all administrative levels while built in the form of party committees and party cells and took the lead role.

Legal system

The Chinese legal system has traditionally not to be compared with the western. The 1949 furnished by the rise of the communists new system is based on Marxism- Leninism and is modeled on the Soviet legal system. Since the 1980s, more and more Western influences are apparent.

Basis of the Chinese legal system is the Constitution. This defines in its first article, the People's Republic of China as a " socialist state under the democratic dictatorship of the people", with the leadership of the working class is emphasized. The constitutional court is the highest body of the judiciary, the Supreme People's Court. It also monitors compliance with the laws of Ministers.

Only in the Constitution of 1978 the western comparable instances were introduced. The judiciary is divided into three parts:

Armed forces

The Chinese armed forces are composed of the People's Liberation Army, armed police and the People's Militia. The People's Liberation Army (PLA ) is not only numerically the largest army in the world but also has nuclear weapons. It is very closely interwoven with the Communist Party: In each group, there are members of the CCP, in each train a party group and in each company a party cell. In larger military units Party committees are set up to decide all important questions. The VBA is under the Central Military Commission and thus its chairman. The actual Defense Department is only for political purposes.

VBA is an object of the defense, defense against aggression and protect the "peaceful labor of the people ." If necessary, it is also used in the interior, in order to preserve the social order. This is also an object of the people's militia and the armed police. The latter also satisfies security tasks.