System

China is an authoritarian state under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CCP). Practically, there is a one-party system and the socialist economic and political system is in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China anchored.

Nominally the supreme state body, the National People's Congress (NPC), the Parliament of the People's Republic of China. It elects the president, the State Council (government of the PRC), the Supreme People's Court, the Central Military Commission and the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.

The real political leadership of the People's Republic of China is located in a narrow circle of Politburo and military leaders. They flocked to the Chairman, which the highest offices in government, party and army to be united: These are the Office of the Secretary of the Communist Party of China, State President of the People's Republic of China and the chairman of the Central Military Commission. At present, Hu Jintao these positions, the successor to Jiang Zemin replayability. The transfer of the offices, but generally within a longer period. So was General Secretary Hu as early as 2002, but until 2004 Chairman of the Central Military Commission. In contrast to Western democracies are in general the one-China party offices (for example, the Secretary-General of the KP) as a powerful and important to the state offices, like the President.

The People's Republic is not officially a centralized unitary state whose central government has absolute power over the provinces has her child. In reality, the relationship between headquarters and the region but is less clear. In particular, the economically prosperous coastal provinces have a significant part of political bargaining power. For example, there is no uniform system for the distribution of tax revenues between provinces and central government. In crisis situations, the government still have the power to enforce its will, it may be, for example, members of the provincial governments, at least in theory in any move.

Although the People's Republic of China throughout its existence only by a single party government was, several people witnessed the profound political changes made by the different currents within the CCP and its power struggles were caused. One tried the Maoist movement, China has become a powerful and prosperous state, the state ownership of productive assets, wealth and planned distribution of resources, the elimination of social differences and the absolute control of the working population should be. On the other hand, the pragmatists were Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, the market-based mechanisms, private ownership and the promotion of entrepreneurship to the development of the state wanted to use. At the beginning of the fifties until the late seventies, the Maoists usually over-hand. It sparked revolutions such as the Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution. Since the reign of Deng Xiaoping is located China on a course in the direction of socialist market economy.

Tentative peak of the market rate was the decision of the People's Congress on 14 March 2004, the abolition of private property must be reversed and the protection of private property in the Constitution. By contrast, the disposition of land owned by a private legal system continues to be excluded.

The Communist Party of China has grown from one class to a party People's Party changed. To their task to lead the government to fulfill it, are now representatives of all social groups in the Party. While representatives of the different ideological schools scrambling for influence, wrestle now representatives of entrepreneurs, trade unions, farmers, cities or Parteiintellektuelle the political line. The controversial debate is desirable and is often out in public. There are three main currents. The "New Left" criticizing the social consequences of the liberalization policy and call for more intervention by the state. The "neo-liberals" demand that the state is even more withdrawn from the economy, while the Democratic liberals' call for political reforms.One of its main representatives is He Weifang. He laid in the year 2008, a seven-point plan. It calls, inter alia: The dominance of the party in the political system to reduce the legal system from the influence of the party to rid the legal certainty in the economy to improve everyday life, as well as demonstrations.

Party Related Organizations

Any type of educational organization, which is not subordinated to the party, is punishable by law and organized opposition outside the party will break up and punished. These include the dismantling of democracy and economic movement after the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Prohibited the formation of independent trade unions. Opponents not only criminalized and imprisoned, as a further threat, the psychiatricization when in opposition-standard behavior allegedly for their own well-being in psychiatric hospitals are introduced. In early June 2004, the military doctor Jiang Yanyong, who by the People's Republic concealed the extent of the SARS epidemic published disappeared.

Formally, the People's Republic of China is not one-party state, but has several small parties, the block parties of the GDR similar. The parties are regarded as "democratic" means, it is but for a democracy "with Chinese character". This means that these parties are not as opposition to the Government shall have occurred: The democratic parties are neither non-ruling nor opposition parties, but of the government parties involved.The parties are now some high-level government executives, for example, is the Minister for Science and Technology Wan Gang, a member of the Zhi Gong Party of China.Currently there are eight such parties:
Revolutionary Committee of Kuomintang
Chinese Democratic League
Chinese Society for the Democratic National Building
Chinese Society for the Promotion of Democracy
Chinese Democratic Party of Farmers and Workers
Zhi Gong Party of China
Society of the 3rd September
League of Democratic self-determination of Taiwan
The formation of the government in opposition parties in China remains a criminal offense.

Opposition

According to Chinese state doctrine occurs within the political will of the Communist Party of China. Thus, according to the prevailing doctrine, the Communist Party is the only place for a political opposition. Who wants to be politically active, may be to join the Communist Party of endeavor. For inclusion in the party is still a political training and the existence of a condition subsequent entrance. The possibility of opposition by means of an opposition party in parliament is therefore to operate in China.

Democratization

In Chinese politics, the democratization of the country as an important task in the highest party bodies is discussed.With democratization, however, is not the introduction of a Western-style democracy meant. In the western sense of democracy regular general elections with fair conditions for the election against the government applies the opposition parties are indispensable. A government needs through free general elections to be voted out. Such a democracy is all in China where a long. A Western-style democracy in China is currently considered not feasible and for the stability of China as dangerous. [66] The primacy of stability before democracy has already been adopted by Deng Xiaoping in the early Reformara as follows: "Even a few individuals can undermine our project.The experience of the Cultural Revolution has shown that chaos only to step back, never leads to progress and a stable order that must prevail if we want to move forward."If someone believes that the rulers, disturbs the stable order, then he may be indicted. There is the crime of "subversion of state power."The vast majority of the population carries this priority to political and social stability. The preservation of stability by a strong state with harsh measures sometimes takes this legitimacy On.

Chinese notion of the democratization of the country

In China, the focus is not on the term "democracy" as a condition of generally binding definition, but rather on the notion of "democratization" as a process. After viewing Chinese democratization is dependent on other social and economic development of the country. It can not be considered in isolation. Also, the democratization is not a "Western" but a "Chinese-style socialist democracy 'lead.In this" socialist democracy "is the role of the Communist Party as the guardian of the stability of China is not compromised. The party should, however, by a "ruling" party in a "democratic ruling party transform.

The democratization of China will happen after this vision by:
#Strengthening the legal system
Through the expansion of the legal system is a more rules-based state with less arbitrariness of individuals created and corruption.
#Opening of the Communist Party of China to the People's Party
The Communist Party now regards itself as a party for all Chinese, and not as a class party. This was at the party convention in 2005 by the theory of "three
representations", which now included in the Constitution. The three representations are the peasants, the workers and entrepreneurs.
#Democratization of the Communist Party of China
There are internal party elections reinforced several candidates. Candidates must take care that they are internally party also elected.
#development of democracy in the political base
The administrative lines at village, community and urban residents committee level are now in democratic elections. There are now approximately 650 000
mayors elected in direct elections. It is in the planning, this principle is also in overall administrative units to expand.
#More transparency, participation and citizenship
The civil society is through freer press, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), interest groups and consultation of the population in local decisions to be
strengthened. Fundamental criticisms of the political system, however, remains taboo.
#Expansion of the welfare

The material situation of the farmers, the welfare system as well as the rights of workers at work should be strengthened.In the year 2007, employment with health and pension insurance for all employees mandatory.For the next 10 years is a particularly important point to build a general and powerful health insurance for all citizens.This would be an important element of social protection as the health care in the country as part of the massive privatization has worsened.

Views

In the current development, the political stability priority over democratization, democracy will be gradually introduced from below. These are the following priorities:
# internal party democracy has precedence over social
# Development of grassroots democracy enjoys priority over democracy at a higher political level
# People should learn on the basis of democracy deal
# Curbing corruption is more important than the development of political democracy
# The increase in state capacity has priority over the expansion of political participation

In recent years there has been from dissatisfaction with the rich and the super-rich out of the peasants and workers, where Mao Renaissance. In a Western-style democratic elections would be currently small Mao occur for the "democratic thinking" in the Western sense is alien, but with their claims of equality for many Chinese citizens of the broad underclass would be heard.The democratization of the country is a path with many small steps.