Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of state governance of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and introduces state structure and organs of State power. The ultimate political and legal superstructure of the PRC is featured by the political leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) or the Party—the Party leads all lines of work and all walks of life. Three organs of Government are presented within this political and legal superstructure. Two broad categories of components in the State machinery are defined for further elaboration in later chapters; one is for the defense and protection of the State against external and internal enemies, and the other for the upkeep, continuation and promotion of society and its welfare. The two categories of State apparatuses interact between them, and the latter category interacts directly with the economic base or infrastructure, hereby establishing causal linkages between the superstructure and the infrastructure. This structure of governance is replicated at local levels and administrative divisions are presented and explained accordingly. The chapter concludes by deliberating on the literal translation of the Mandarin title of this book, China—across vertical and horizontal connexions, which portrays lucidly the features and dynamics in PRC governance.
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Notes
- 1.
Literally as Mao Zedong said: ‘The Party leads all amongst the Party, Government, Military, Civilian, Education; East, West, South, North, Central’. We adopt all lines of work for the former and all walks of life for the latter.
- 2.
We differ from Althusser (1970) by avoiding ideology and the use of Repressive State Apparatuses that, similar to and go further than Lenin (1917), fall into our first category of State apparatuses. We extend Lenin (1917) and Althusser (1970) by introducing the second category of State apparatuses, which also differ from the Ideological State Apparatuses of Althusser (1970). We attempt to be impartial and ideology-free here.
- 3.
Clergy is replaced by ‘…’ that can be clerks, entrepreneurs, celebrities and so on, to show modern flavors.
- 4.
It is usually translated as the People’s Liberation Army, which has caused confusion. Army is not a narrowly defined term in this regard. The PLA includes the Navy, the Air Force and other military forces. We feel that it is more appropriate to make the translation from Mandarin to English this way.
- 5.
The Chairman of the CCCPC was until June 1981 always, automatically the Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC, same as that the US or French President is automatically the supreme command of the armed forces in the US or France. When Hua Guofeng, then the CCCPC Chairman, resigned in June 1981, Hu Yaobang took over his Chairmanship of the CCCPC and Deng Xiaoping took over his Chairmanship of the Central Military Commission of the CPC. Zhao Ziyang took over the post of the General Secretary (replacing the post of Chairman in September 1982) of the CCCPC from Hu Yaobang in January 1987; Deng Xiaoping remained the Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC.
- 6.
Jiang Zemin assumed the post of the General Secretary of the CCCPC in June 1989 while Deng Xiaoping stayed as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC until November 1989. Jiang Zemin followed suit when stepping down as the General Secretary of the CCCPC in November 2002. He relinquished the Chairmanship of the Central Military Commission of the CPC nearly two years later to Hu Jintao in September 2004.
- 7.
At the 18th Congress of the CPC held in Beijing between 8 and 14 in November 2012, Hu Jintao announced his immediate relinquishment of the Chairmanship of the Central Military Commission of the CPC at the same time of the succession of Xi Jinping to the General Secretary of the CCCPC. He expressed his complete trust and confidence in Xi Jinping in leading the Party and the armed forces. He requested no interference with Xi Jinping and the new leadership from the veterans. Xi Jinping praised Hu Jintao reciprocally for his morals and integrities (Xi 2012).
- 8.
Unlike the FBI, CIA, MI5 and MI6, the PRC Ministry of State Security is a cabinet ministry, not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security or any other ministries. The FBI is under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Justice. The Director of the CIA (head of the agency) reports to the Director of National Intelligence who acts as the principal advisor to the President for intelligence matters related to national security. MI5 is now under the statutory authority of the Home Secretary (used to be under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), but it is not part of the Home Office. MI6 (SIS) is still under the statutory authority of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
- 9.
List of Central Enterprises (cf. SASAC 2016a). The number was 112 by the end of 2014, being gradually reduced from 196 when SASAC was established in 2003.
- 10.
Currently and over the last two decades, the secretaries of the Party committees in the four municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing are conventionally members of the Politburo of the CPC. Given this high status, they do not assume the title of the chairman the standing committee of the people’s congress in the municipalities.
- 11.
Article 31 of the Constitution specified that ‘The State may establish special administrative regions when necessary’.
- 12.
Administrative Divisions of Zhenjiang Province (cf. People’s Government of Zhejiang Province 2015).
- 13.
Administrative Divisions of Jiangsu Province (cf. People’s Government of Jiangsu Province 2015).
- 14.
Introduction to Administrative Divisions of Shandong Province (cf. People’s Government of Shandong Province 2015).
- 15.
Administrative Divisions of Yunnan Province (cf. People’s Government of Yunnan Province 2015).
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Wang, P. (2017). State Structure and Organs of State Power. In: China's Governance. SpringerBriefs in Political Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45913-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45913-4_1
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