IX. The CPPCC Is an Important Political and Organizational Platform in China’s Political Party System
The CPPCC is an organization of the Chinese people’s patriotic united front, serving as a key mechanism for multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC. The CPPCC plays a major role in promoting socialist democracy in China. It is an important channel and specialized body for socialist consultative democracy, a key component of the state governance system, and a distinctively Chinese political institution.
The CPPCC National Committee is composed of representatives from the CPC and other political parties, people’s organizations, ethnic minority groups, prominent individuals without party affiliation, compatriots in the Hong Kong SAR, the Macao SAR and Taiwan, returned overseas Chinese, and other sectors of society, as well as specially invited individuals. They are divided into a number of participating groups. Representatives from the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates constitute an important cohort and play a major role in the CPPCC.
The CPPCC membership has distinctive features. Members of the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates account for a substantial percentage of members of each CPPCC committee at all levels. They must constitute no less than 60 percent of the members of each CPPCC committee and no less than 65 percent of the members of the standing committee of each CPPCC committee; they must constitute no less than 50 percent of the vice chairpersons of each CPPCC committee at all levels (excluding those in ethnic autonomous areas).
Since the First Session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in 2018, 1,299 non-CPC individuals have served as members of the CPPCC National Committee, or 60.2 percent; 195 as members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, or 65 percent; and 13 as vice chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, or 54.2 percent. Nationwide, over 410,000 non-CPC individuals have been serving as members of CPPCC organizations at all levels; they make up a proper proportion of heads, deputy heads and members of the special committees under CPPCC committees.
The CPPCC respects and protects the right of its members from the non-CPC political parties to express views and raise proposals on behalf of their own parties. To leverage the strengths of China’s political party system, the CPPCC National Committee has established mechanisms for its members from the non-CPC political parties to submit proposals, deliver addresses at conferences, and report on social conditions and public opinion. These mechanisms are articulated in the relevant regulatory documents, such as the rules of consultation of the CPPCC National Committee, general rules of the special committees, measures for selecting key proposals and overseeing their execution, and rules for making addresses at conferences.
Since 2013, the eight non-CPC political parties have submitted nearly 3,000 proposals, presented 525 speeches (including 81 oral presentations), and delivered over 30,000 reports on social conditions and public opinion. They have made a positive contribution to leveraging the strengths of China’s political party system, promoting harmony among all political parties, and serving national development in the new era.
The CPPCC offers platforms for the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates to conduct political consultation, exercise democratic oversight, and deliberate on and participate in the administration of state affairs. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPPCC National Committee has been working to enhance the CPPCC’s role as a specialized consultative body, to support extensive, multi-level, and institutionalized consultation by the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates, and to welcome their consultative oversight, comments, criticism and suggestions.
Since 2018, the special committees under the CPPCC National Committee have conducted 22 joint field missions and 24 consultations with the central committees of the non-CPC political parties concerning key proposals. Mechanisms, including briefing on issues of major public concern, have been improved to inform members of the non-CPC political parties on topics of public concern, so that they can better perform their duties.
The CPPCC rallies strength and build solidarity across all sectors of society. The CPPCC is dedicated to promoting unity and democracy and building consensus through political consultation. By organizing symposiums, discussions, inspections, field work and consultations, the CPPCC builds consensus among representatives from all political parties, people’s organizations, ethnic groups, and other sectors of society, to strengthen unity on the basis of shared political ideals. To appease public sentiment, coordinate relations between social groups, resolve social problems and forge social cohesion, the CPPCC has launched activities, such as lectures by CPPCC members, and awareness-raising tours for major and special tasks for members from the non-CPC political parties and non-affiliates to explain key state policies and strategies to the public.
