How does the Chinese Communist Party govern the country?

Chapter 13

In today's China, besides the leading Communist Party of China, there are eight democratic parties1 active in the political arena.China's political party system is neither a multi-party system nor a one-party system, but a unique system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China.The birth, development and improvement of this political party system are closely related to the course of Chinese revolution, construction and reform.China once had the reality and opportunity of a one-party system, two-party system or multi-party system, but none of them became the choice of history in the end.

The historical choice is the result of the comprehensive effect of a "historical joint force", that is, the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the Communist Party of China.Of course, with the development of China's political civilization, this system is also constantly enriched and developed.

When talking about the history of modern China, one cannot fail to talk about the grievances and grievances between the two major political parties in the Chinese political arena - the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.Once upon a time, they were brothers who fought side by side in the revolution—the period of the Great Revolution when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated for the first time from 1924 to 1927, but suddenly became sworn enemies—the ten-year civil war period from 1927 to 1937; They became siblings fighting humiliation together—the eight-year war of resistance between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party during the second cooperation period from 1937 to 1945, and then turned into life and death opponents—the three-year civil war period from 1946 to 1949.

On the surface, during the period of the Great Revolution and the Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese political situation under the cooperation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party seemed to have a favorable opportunity to implement the two-party system, but it failed because of the war environment and the KMT’s insistence on one-party dictatorship and dictatorship.History has indeed provided China with the opportunity to choose a multi-party system. Judging from the time period of the above historical development, the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945 and the outbreak of the civil war between the KMT and the Communist Party in 1946 are a time gap.But this opportunity is fleeting.This not only announced the final failure of the Kuomintang's one-party dictatorship, but also blocked the path choice of a two-party or multi-party system.

During the Anti-Japanese War, with the deepening of national peril, some new middle parties emerged besides the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, such as the national salvation faction composed of Shen Junru and Zhang Naiqi, and the vocational education faction headed by Huang Yanpei. In November 1939, leaders of the National Socialist Party, the Youth Party, the Third Party, the National Salvation Faction, the Vocational Education Faction, and the Rural Construction Faction, as well as individual persons without party affiliation, established the Unified National Founding Comrades Association in Chongqing.In 11, the association was reorganized as the China Democratic Political Group League, and in September 1942 it was renamed the China Democratic League.These parties used the National Political Council, which included members of the Kuomintang, the Communist Party, and the middle parties, as a stage to constantly criticize Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship and demand the abolition of the Kuomintang's one-party dictatorship.In this regard, the Communist Party of China supports it and has put forward its own political design based on reality.

At the beginning of August 1944, Mao Zedong first proposed in a conversation with the American diplomat Xie Weisi: "We do not require the implementation of direct democracy with a full representative system, which would be unrealistic. Moreover, under the auspices and control of the Kuomintang, this would only be an empty hoax ...but what can and should - immediately - be called for an interim (or transitional) National Assembly.

All groups should be invited to be represented. ... They must include the Communist Party, all small parties, intellectual groups, the press, students, professional groups, cooperative centers, labor and other mass organisations. ... The Provisional National Assembly will also be fully responsible for a well-prepared democratic constitution.It will oversee elections and then call a national assembly. According to this idea, at the National Political Conference held in September 1944, Lin Boqu, on behalf of the CCP, formally proposed to "convene representatives of all parties, anti-Japanese troops, local governments, and people's organizations, hold a state conference, and organize all parties to fight against Japan." The proposal of a coalition government was welcomed by all centrist parties.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in August 1945, in order to gain the initiative, Chiang Kai-shek invited Mao Zedong to Chongqing for negotiations. On October 8, 1945, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party signed the "Double Ten Agreement", which stated: "The National Government will hold a political consultation meeting, invite representatives of various parties and social leaders, discuss the country's affairs, discuss the peaceful nation-building plan, and hold the National Assembly various issues."

In January 1946, the CPPCC meeting was held in Chongqing.Participants included 1 representatives from the Kuomintang, 8 representatives from the Communist Party, 7 representatives from the Democratic League, 9 representatives from the Youth Party, and 5 people without party affiliation, a total of 9 people.The meeting passed agreements such as the program for peaceful nation building, the agreement on the National Assembly, and the agreement on the reorganization of the government.According to the resolution of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the real National Assembly should be convened by the reorganized democratic coalition government under peaceful conditions of a comprehensive armistice.

History has developed to this point, and the formation of a party system with multi-party supervision and cooperation, and the KMT and the Communist Party taking turns in power seems to be a matter of course.However, because Chiang Kai-shek's "one-party dictatorship" concept was deeply rooted, he relied on the strength of the army, and had military assistance and support from the United States. After completing the military deployment, he launched an armed attack on the Communist Party in the summer of 1946, and the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke out.The Political Consultative Conference fell short.

The Kuomintang is convinced that they have the military initiative in their hands, and it will not take long to "conquer" the CCP.Unexpectedly, in the first half of 1947, a situation that was not conducive to the dictatorship of the Kuomintang appeared.The Chinese Communist Party, which has won the support of the masses and various democratic parties, has turned from a disadvantage to an advantage, and from defense to offense on the battlefield.The Kuomintang insisted on going its own way, fighting a trapped beast. In October 1947, the Kuomintang government outlawed the Democratic League as an "illegal organization" and banned it, which made it gradually drift away from the road of betrayal.

With the acceleration of the victory of the revolution, on April 1948, 4, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a slogan to commemorate the "May 30st" Labor Day, proposing that "all democratic parties, all people's organizations, and all social leaders should quickly hold a political consultation meeting to discuss and realize the convening People's Congress, the establishment of a democratic coalition government".This initiative has received enthusiastic responses from various democratic parties.Since the beginning of August 1948, representatives of various democratic parties and people's organizations have successively entered the liberated areas to work with the Communist Party to prepare for the CPPCC to welcome the national victory.Due to the fact that the whole country has not yet been fully liberated and technical conditions are not available, it is not yet possible to hold an elected People's Congress. All parties agree to directly implement the functions and powers of the National People's Congress through the Political Consultative Conference to form a provisional central government.

After intense and orderly preparations, in June 1949, the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference was held in Beiping, and the "Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference" headed by Mao Zedong was formally established. On September 6, the preparatory meeting for the new CPPCC held its second plenary session.

The meeting unanimously approved the renaming of the "New Political Consultative Conference" to the "Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", and passed the "Organization Law of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Draft)", "Organization Law of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China (Draft)" and "Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Draft)" and other documents.

From September 1949 to 9, 21, the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held in Beiping.There were 30 representatives from various parties, organizations, democrats without party affiliation and specially invited representatives.Including the Communist Party of China, the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the China Democratic League, the China Democratic Construction Association, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, the Chinese People's Salvation Association, the Comrades of the Three People's Principles, the Chinese Kuomintang Association for the Promotion of Democracy, the China Zhi Gong Party, and the Jiu San Society , the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the peasant groups in the Liberated Areas, the Chinese New Democratic Youth League, the All-China Women's Federation, the Student Union, as well as the business, cultural, educational, press, and free Representatives of professionals, ethnic minorities, overseas Chinese, religious circles, etc.The meeting passed the "Organization Law of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", "Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", "Organization Law of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China"; the first National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was elected, and Mao Zedong was elected as the The chairman of the National Committee, Zhou Enlai, Li Jishen, Shen Junru, Guo Moruo, and Chen Shutong were the vice-chairmen; the meeting also elected Mao Zedong as the chairman of the Central People's Government.The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, formed at the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is a true democratic coalition government, laying the foundation for multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC.

After the founding of New China, the Chinese People's Salvation Association believed that its historical mission had come to an end, so it announced its dissolution, and its members merged into the Democratic League.The Chinese Kuomintang Association for Promoting Democracy and the Comrades of the Three People's Principles were merged into the Kuomintang.Some democratic parties are also preparing to dissolve.Mao Zedong was very sorry to hear that the National Salvation Association was disbanded.He also heard that the Jiusan Society was about to be disbanded, and he immediately expressed his disapproval, and the central government conveyed his opinions on the status and role of the democratic parties after the founding of New China, clearly stating that "the Jiusan Society not only cannot be dissolved, but must continue to develop."In this way, the eight democratic parties that still play an important role are retained.

In September 1954, with the convening of the first National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and the promulgation of the first constitution, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference completed its historical mission of acting on behalf of the National People's Congress and became the patriotic united front of the Chinese people. It is an important organization for multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

In the following decades, with the development of the situation, the sectors of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference continued to develop and change.As of 2012, the Eleventh National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is composed of 34 sectors, including the Communist Party of China, eight democratic parties, people without party affiliation, the Chinese Communist Youth League, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the All-China Women's Federation, and the All-China Youth Federation Association, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, China Association for Science and Technology, All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, cultural and artistic circles, science and technology circles, social science circles, economic circles, agricultural circles, education circles, sports circles circles, press and publishing circles, medical and health circles, foreign friendship circles, social welfare and social security circles, ethnic minorities, religious circles, specially invited people from Hong Kong, specially invited people from Macau, and specially invited people.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the eight democratic parties and sectors included in the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have developed in a healthy and orderly manner and played a significant role. In December 1982, the Fifth Session of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference adopted the "Constitution of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", which was amended in 12, 1994 and 2000, and clearly stated that "the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The main functions of committees and local committees are political consultation, democratic supervision, and participation in state affairs."

Only when there are rules can we become a circle. In accordance with the requirements of "political consultation, democratic supervision, and participation in the discussion and discussion of state affairs", members of the democratic parties and members of the CPPCC conscientiously perform their duties and start their work.

(End of this chapter)