China+Institutions

= = = **Political Institution** ** s **=
 * 1.) China has always operated under a Command Economy. What does this mean? **


 * Operating under a Command Economy means that the state manages and controls a large portion of the country’s economic output. The state also sets national production goals, regulates prices, and distributes resources throughout the economy. Throughout the 1980’s, around 75% of the nation’s economy was run by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). There were few private organizations and little foreign investment as well. This type of economy focuses on meeting state implemented quotas rather than encouraging competition and producing high quality products.**

**2.) What is the formal name of the country? How long in existence?**

 * The Formal name of the country is the People’s Republic of China (Zhonghua Renmin Gonghe Guo** **— **** 中华人民共和国 ****). The People’s Republic of China was officially established on October 1st, 1949. It has been in existence for around sixty two years.**

**3.) Does China operate under a Constitution? What is the role of the Constitution?**

 * China technically does have a Constitution which it operates under. This Constitution provides basic human rights for the citizens of the PRC and it also enumerates the various duties the citizens are responsible for carrying out. However, the power of the Constitution is limited in that the state has the ability to revoke these rights in certain circumstances; in many instances, these “circumstances” have no credibility.**

**4.) What type of Government is the PRC?**

 * The PRC is a unitary and socialist state which is under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party which follows the guidance of Marx, Lenin, and Mao.**

**5.) What is the organizing principle of Chinese Communist Government?**

 * The organizing principle of the Chinese Communist Government is Democratic Centralism.**

**6.) What type of government organization does the country operate under?**

 * The Chinese Communist Government is organized in a hierarchical system. At the top lies the General Secretary followed by the Standing Committee, Politburo, Central Committee, National Party Congress, and finally Local Party Congresses.**

**7.) What do I mean by the concept that “the CCP and the government are 3 parallel hierarchies”?**

 * The government of the PRC has 3 sections that interact together: the CCP, the government institutions and leaders that have some authority but are essential conrtolled by the CCP leaders, and the PLA.**

**8.) Where does the real power lie in China?**

 * The real power lies in the CCP specifically the CCP’s General Secretary, Standing Committee, and the Politburo.**

**9.) What is the Guanxi? Nomenklatura?**

 * The Guanxi refers to the Patron-Client System in China. It is a web of membership and connections that fuels the CCP.**

**10.) What is meant by the concept “the official truth” in China or the “government designated truth”?**

 * The concept of the “official truth” includes Maoism, Deng’s 4 Modernizations, and Zemin’s 3 Represents. These are different methods of how the government planned to revolutionize the economy, government, and society in China.**

**11.) What is the “Mass Line” in Chinese politics?**

 * The Mass Line in Chinese Politics is a term for policy intended to broaden and cultivate relationships with the population and increase political legitimacy.**

**12.) The 1980’s Mass Line was the “Four Modernizations”? Explain Deng’s ideas here?**

 * Deng’s ideas were focused on turning China into an industrialized nation by 2000. He wanted to reform areas of industry, agriculture, science, and defense.**

**13.) The 2000 Mass Lien was Jiang’s “Three Represents”. Explain these ideas.**
= = = **Government Institutions** = =**Executive Branch**=
 * Jiang’s “Three Represents” were ideas focused on advancing economic production, cultural development, and political consensus through a representative system.**

**A.) Head of State:**

 * 14.) Title?** President of the People's Repunlic of China (Current: Hu Jintao)
 * 15.) qualifications?** By law, the President must be a Chinese citizen of 45 years of age or older.
 * 16.) Term of office and term limits?** Term of office: 5 years. The President cannot serve for over two successive terms (a term being the equivalent of one session of the NPC).
 * 17.) Selection Process?** The President is elected by the National People’s Congress (in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution).
 * 18.) Role / Powers / Function?** The PRC President is a state organ instead of an administrative post. Also it is an important national symbol serving as the nominal head of state. The President promulgates statutes adopted by the NPC and NPCSC. The functions of the President are largely ceremonial; the President appoints the Premie upon the NPC's decision, Vice Premiers, State Council members and Ministers of all departments upon the nomination of the Premier, all ambassadors to foreign countries, and all legislative committee chairs, treasurers and secretaries. The President has the responsibility to give Special Presidential Decrees, and declare states of emergency, and declare war ritually upon the NPC's decision without any own power. The President is assisted by the Vice-President.
 * 19.) Role of the Vice – President?** The Vice President's duties include assisting the President, and replacing him should he resign or die in office. In reality the position of the Vice-President is basically ceremonial, and only until Hu J intao the recent Vice-Presidents have been members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's main decision makers.



=**B.)** **Head of Government**=
 * 20.) Title?** Premier of the People’s Republic of China (Current: Wen Jiabao)
 * 21.) qualifications?** Chinese citizen of 45 years of age or older.
 * 22.) Term of office and term limits?** Term of Office: Five years, which is renewable once consecutively.
 * 23.) Selection Process?** The Premier is formally approved by the National People’s Congress upon the nomination of the President. In practice, the candidate is recommended by the Politburo of the Communist Party of China.
 * 24.) Role / Powers / Function?** The Premier is the highest administrative position in the Government of the People's Republic of China. The Premier is responsible for organizing and administering the Chinese civil bureaucracy. This includes overseeing the various ministries, departments, commissions and statutory agencies and announcing their candidacies to the National People's Congress for Vice-Premiers, State Councillors and ministry offices. Apparently, the Premier does not have authority over the People's Liberation Army, but the Premier is the Head of the National Defense Mobilization Committee of China which is a department of armed forces redeployment.
 * 25.) What is the Chinese Bureaucracy called?**
 * 26.) How is the State Council organized?** It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency. In recent times, the council has had 35 members: the premier, four vice-premiers, five standing committee members (of which two are also ministers), and 25 additional ministers. The State Council meets once every six months. Between meetings it is guided by a standing committee which meets weekly.
 * 27.) What is the role of the State Council?** The State Council directly oversees the various subordinate People's Governments in the provinces, and in practice maintains an interlocking membership with the top levels of the Communist Party of China creating a fused center of power.
 * 28.) How does the State Council help and hinder the formulation of policy?** The State Council is responsible for carrying out the principles and policies of the Communist Party of China as well as the regulations and laws adopted by the NPC, and dealing with such affairs as China's internal politics, diplomacy, national defense, finance, economy, culture and education. Under the current Constitution, the State Council exercises the power of administrative legislation, the power to submit proposals, the power of administrative leadership, the power of economic management, the power of diplomatic administration, the power of social administration, and other powers granted by the NPC and its Standing Committee.

**C.)** **The CMC – Central Military Commission**

 * 29.)** **What is it?** The state CMC is nominally considered the supreme military policy-making body and its chairman, elected by the National People's Congress, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
 * 30.)** **Number of Members?** 11 Members
 * 31.)** **Selection Process?** The CMC is elected by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and is subordinate to the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee
 * 32.)** **Role / Powers / Function?** The commission issues directives relating to the PLA, including senior appointments, troop deployments and arms spending.
 * 33.)** **Compare Chinese Military with US military?** The PLA’s top officer, Gen. Chen Bingde, announced during his recent visit to Washington that China’s is no where close to matching the United States’ in terms of military capability. According to the general, his nation has a long way to go before it catches the U.S. militarily.
 * 34.) What impact did Tiananmen Square have on the PLA?** The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) caused casualties to civilians in the side streets ofBeijing when the army fought its way past barricades to arrive atTiananmen Square. In the resistance to martial law, many PLA soldiers were also killed. Nevertheless, final examination of eye witness and video reports prove that no students were actually killed inTiananmen Square. Despite this knowledge, media have once again started to impart conspiracy and horror to the PLA entry intoTiananmen Square and characterize it as a massacre of students.
 * 34.)** **Why is Hu Jintao historic in reference to the Chinese political system?** Because he is the first President of China to hold all three of China’s top jobs: General Secretary of the Communist Party, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commision.