China's political party system thrives over past decade

BEIJING -- China's system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) has grown with the times, demonstrating distinctive strengths, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The system, a new model of political party system formed in China, has become all the more clear in terms of the top-level design, said Chen Xu, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a press conference taking stock of the changes and accomplishments of the system over the past decade.

Adhering to and improving the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC have been made part of the basic strategy of the Party, according to the official.

The framework of the system has been increasingly more sound and extensive with new regulations and policies adopted over the past decade, while the political consensus of the system has become increasingly firm and the system has played a more efficacious role in state governance, Chen said.

In addition to the CPC, there are eight other political parties in China's political party system. Prominent individuals without affiliation to any of the political parties are also included in the system.

Following the principles of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, sincerity, and sharing the rough times and the smooth, the parties have jointly created a multiparty cooperation system in which the CPC exercises state power and the other parties participate fully in the administration of state affairs under the leadership of the CPC.

According to Chen, 29 non-CPC figures were serving as vice governors and in other corresponding positions in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country as of June 2021, and another 380 were members of leadership bodies of prefecture-level governments.

Non-CPC parties and prominent individuals without party affiliations have played positive roles in state governance. They have taken an active part in the country's carbon emissions peaking and neutrality drive, poverty reduction efforts, and environmental protection along the Yangtze River.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) serves as a key mechanism for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC.

Over the past decade, the National Committee of the CPPCC received more than 58,000 proposals and filed more than 47,000 pieces. A great number of them have made it into policies and measures of the country, said Zhang Jing'an, a senior official with the committee, at the same press conference.

"A new model grown out of the soil of China, China's political party system has shown strengths in multiple aspects," said Chen.

The system is able to extensively and unfailingly represent the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups and social sectors, thus avoiding the defects of the old-fashioned party systems which represent only a selective few or the vested interests.

It unites all political parties and non-affiliates towards a common goal, which is the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation at present, thus mitigating the risks of inadequate oversight in one-party rule, and the problems of power rotation and destructive competition among multiple political parties.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.