chinese government

chinese government

The Evolution of the Chinese Government: A Comprehensive Study

1. Introduction to the Chinese Government

The intent of the Chinese government is to concentrate on the institutional and democratic features that were adopted during China’s historical reform; also, the formative antecedents of the Chinese state, therefore, have much in common with the foundations of other nation-states. Because China long held itself to be the preeminent state, Chinese tradition, culture, and history should attribute considerable importance in understanding China’s contemporary and future goals. Furthermore, its historical negative and positive facets should be equated with evaluations of Western historical practices. That several studies interchangeably use the terms ‘Chinese government’ and ‘Chinese state’ tends to validate the point that the historical foundation is equally of interest in determining the regular activities of the bureaucracy. Besides, the definition of China’s government with its limitations is also scrutinized because it determines the limits within which the political leaders conduct governing procedures.

The Chinese government has drawn widespread attention and has been central to China’s recent breakthroughs. In addition, the Chinese government is considered to play a major role in the global and regional economy. Certainly, China as a whole has been modernizing, but the concept of the modern state is not fully encapsulated in the reforms. It is sometimes the case that the country has adapted to emphasize specific state capacities excluding others. It may also be the case that as some capacities have increased, developed, so many others have diminished to almost nothing.

2. Historical Foundations of the Chinese Government

The People’s Republic of China’s political history has been turbulent. No other nation has undergone governmental styles as vast and unique as that exhibited by the governance of the Chinese. Unlike the Western world, which suffered from repeated incidents of civil armed warfare at various times yet ultimately formed a number of clearly defined sovereign units, the Chinese nation has been able to keep its territorial continuity. The dynastic succession took its loss with a profound and bewildering grasp. But China is now disassembling its politico-economic structure in a profound and dramatic fashion. The effects of the political reform in China are complicated, great, and independently chronicled. Our method of inquiry is oriented solely with the present. We look only at the present form of government to interpret and appreciate its practices and perspectives.

Though every country has a unique history that has influenced its governance, an understanding of the historical development of the government of the People’s Republic of China is particularly fundamental. It not only allows for an appreciation of the magnitudes of grand reforms it undertook but also provides a precursor of the postures its government might adopt in the future. In order to more accurately probe into any country’s historical development, it is important also to understand some of the unique features of the people of that country that are related to the practices of the government. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive narrative of Chinese governance and to put forward a discussion of the effectiveness of different forms of governance in the People’s Republic of China.

3. Structure and Institutions of the Chinese Government

If ever there were an official key to Chinese national policies, the full membership list of the Central Committee of the Communist Party represented at its annual plenary meeting should be considered. The annual meetings during the past several political years have dwelt on state and public institutional reform and development. The Central Committee’s agenda is thereupon shared, endorsed and adopted by the larger governance bodies which serve the Party and the government, according to the principles and prerogatives of democratic centrality. Some of the policy resolutions of the Party’s plenary sessions or resolutions adopted upon the recommendation of the Autonomous Government’s governing body are exposed to the Legislative National People’s Congress and its sessions and regular working making. However, as State power and law enforcing bodies, all governance, legislative and administrative institutions which serve the Associated – Autonomous State, are all appointed by the respective Central, Autonomous and particularistic governing bodies and can be revoked thereby.

While procedures for effecting such oversight can be found in many countries, in China the NPC and its standing committee are assigned the task of exerting oversight over virtually all important activities of government. Certainly, various government entities can and do supervise the administration of laws and policies relevant to their own areas of responsibility. The central government and the Party’s Discipline Inspection Commission assume broad oversight responsibilities and operate at various levels of government. Yet, if a single central institution can be said to have been assigned the task of overseeing the conduct of virtually all governmental entities in China, it is the NPC, its standing committee and the selection of its officers who shoulder this burden.

4. Key Policies and Reforms in the Chinese Government

The takeover of Inner China after victory in the war of democratic resistance against Japan faced new challenges. The Party Central adopted similar administrative government organizations, confirming particular central and local government departments and administrative regions’ organization areas. During the process of peaceful takeover, the Central People’s Government peacefully completed the four peace treaties, which are referred to as the “Double Xian Agreement”. The Chinese communist party central government also used such special peace agreement items as financial expenditures, judicial advice, police relief, and organization preparation of eastern provinces. Using these various national administrative systems, central and local administrative organizations gradually developed. Then the Chinese people’s liberation army, local military and civilian leader’s appointments and dismissals, armed police development, and military preparations became normal.

The Chinese Government Supreme People’s Assembly, State Council, the Middle and Higher People’s Courts and Military Courts made major institutions of the state. The relevant Central and local appointed leader’s bodies and the executive bodies and people’s organizations in all domains of the national administration are composed of the national administrative organ. At the same time, changes and reforms are made from time to time to the national administrative system. These have been the consistent principles of Chinese Governmental reform. The regime’s experience reminds us that only when a national administrative system adapts to the requirements of the development of productive forces and is constantly innovated and developed can it show its highest efficiency. The CCP paid great attention to these national administrative issues immediately after victory in the war of democratic resistance of the Chinese people against Japanese aggression and the Chinese people’s war of liberation. First, after the war of democratic resistance against Japan posed new organization tasks for army forces, Chinese communist party central started the Alexander Defense Administrative Organization, and made confidential rules and regulations, more specified department divisions and developed obligatory planning and general orders for national programs such as policy-making, intelligence materials, manpower management, equipment procurement, civil affairs, military theory and military education.

One key policy of the CCP in government after 1949 was its policy toward ethnic minorities, and today it considers this a cornerstone of its rule. After 1949, the CCP implemented policies of nationalities equality, including local autonomy in government, administration, and finance for ethnic minorities, exemption from imprisonment or detention in the army, education for everyone, financial aid, and exemptions from personal payment such as the grain tax. In addition, the CCP provided the majority of people in underdeveloped ethnic regions with various forms of financial support for their production and daily life while at the same time developing the region. This was all designed to win the hearts of ethnic minorities. The Communist regime has always been concerned about the problems of multi-nationality states and adopted a series of policies to handle the questions of nationalities after 1949. One such policy was to prevent nationalities forces from forming through measures such as selective and limited expansion of educational opportunities, training, labor, draft requirements, and other essential responsibilities of Chinese citizens.

5. The Future of the Chinese Government: Challenges and Opportunities

The first issue to consider is how the Chinese Communist Party survives and exercises its power in the upcoming decades, despite political and cultural liberalizations. In authoritarian political systems, by contrast, votes do not decide who should rule the country, secure and periodic elections do not take place, and public discussion and decision-making on the selection of national leaders are absent. As Herr discusses, the legitimacy of an authoritarian regime can be generated from a variety of sources, such as personal, single party, elections, interests, and cognitive. However, scholars have pointed out that unlike the CCP, such one-party regimes as those in the former Soviet Union, Iraq, Iran, and many other party-ruled countries had or have a low life expectancy and their completion was or will be foreshortened. According to Herr, the reasons accounting for the fact that China’s one-party regime, the CCP, has a much longer life than other one-party governments include the diverse sources of the CCP’s power, the party’s flexibility and adaptability, the party’s adaptive capacity to making adequate adjustments, the party’s policies, and the iron triangle in China’s governance structure.

The future of the Chinese government is challenging but filled with tremendous opportunities. The central concern of this section is to explore these challenges and opportunities by discussing a series of significant issues facing the CCP and the government. The two main themes of this section are the factors contributing to the CCP’s power as well as those that can undermine the CCP’s authority and trigger lengthy and unpredictable factional struggles, and the difficulties the Chinese government encounters in various areas as well as the strategies the government can utilize to adapt and respond to these difficulties.