<<<Central Military Commission>>>
Central Military Commission

The Central Military Commission is the nation's leading military organ and commander of its armed forces. The armed forces of the PRC consist of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Chinese People's Armed Police Force and the Militia. The main tasks of the PLA are strengthening national defense, resisting foreign aggression, defending and building up the motherland, and working hard to serve the people. The main tasks of the Armed Police Force include defending the frontiers, performing guard duties and maintaining public security. The Militia is an armed force of the masses who, when not on duty, remain engaged in their normal productive activities

The Central Military Commission is composed of a chairman, vice-chairmen and other members. The current chairman is Jiang Zemin.

<<<Cooperation and Political Consultation>>>

Cooperation and Political Consultation

China is a country of many peoples and many political parties. Before the state adopts important measures or makes decisions on issues having a bearing on the national economy and the people's livelihood, the CPC, as the party in power, consults with representatives of all ethnic groups, political parties and non-Party personages, and all other social sectors, in order to reach a common understanding. This system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC is a basic political system in China.Multi-party cooperation and political consultation take two principal forms:

(1) The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC);

(2) consultative conferences and forums participated in by non-Communist parties and unaffiliated democrats at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee and local Party committees.

The CPPCC is neither a state organ, nor an ordinary mass organization. It is a widely representative, patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people, first established in September 1949. The CPPCC has a national committee and local committees established in the provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and counties (cities). The CPPCC consists of representatives of the CPC, the non-Communist parties, unaffiliated individuals, people's organizations, ethnic minorities and other social strata, compatriots from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, returned overseas Chinese, and specially invited individuals. The committees at various levels hold plenary sessions once a year. When the committee is not in session, special activities for the committee members are organized, including inspection tours of various localities. Consultative discussions are held on significant issues relating to major state policies, important local affairs, the people's livelihood and united front work. Democratic supervision is exercised over the work of state organs and the fulfillment of the Constitution and laws through the offering of opinions, proposals and criticisms. When the people's congresses are convened, CPPCC committee members are invited to attend and fully air their views. The current chairman of the CPPCC National Committee is Li Ruihuan. Once a year, the leaders of the CPC Central Committee invite the leaders of the non-Communist parties and representatives of  non-Party democrats to meetings for consultation; forums are held every other month. The former focus on major state policies; the latter on information exchanges, reception of policy proposals and discussion of certain special issues

<<<Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments>>>

Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments

In accordance with the existing administrative divisions of the country, the people's congresses of the provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government), counties (cities) and townships (towns) are established (people's congresses at or above the county level having standing committees), and people's governments set up at all levels.

Local people's congresses are the local organs of state power. They have the power to decide on important local affairs in their respective administrative areas. The people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government have the power to formulate local laws and regulations.

Local people's governments are local administrative organs of the state. Working under the unified leadership of the State Council, they are responsible and report on their work to the people's congresses at the corresponding levels and their standing committees, and to the organs of state administration at the next-higher level. They have overall responsibility for the administrative work within their respective administrative areas.

<<<National Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem>>>

National Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem

The national flag of the PRC is a red rectangle emblazoned with five stars.

The red of the flag symbolizes revolution; the stars are yellow so that they will stand out brightly against the red ground. The larger star represents the CPC and the four smaller ones, the Chinese people. This expresses the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC.

The national emblem of the PRC features Tiananmen Gate beneath the five shining stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a cogwheel at the bottom. The ears of grain, stars, Tiananmen and cogwheel are gold; the field within the circle is red, as are the ribbons festooning the bottom of the circle. These two colors traditionally represent auspiciousness and happiness.

Tiananmen symbolizes the unyielding spirit of the Chinese people in their fight against imperialism and feudalism; the cogwheel and ears of grain represent the working class and the peasantry, respectively; the five stars, as above, stand for the great unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC.

The national anthem was written in 1935, with lyrics by the noted poet Tian Han and music by the famous composer Nie Er. The lyrics are as follows:

 Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves;

 With our very flesh and blood

 Let us build our new Great Wall!

 The peoples of China are at their most critical time,

 Everybody must roar defiance.

 Arise! Arise! Arise!

 Millions of hearts with one mind,

 Brave the enemy's gunfire,

 March on!

 Brave the enemy's gunfire,

 March on! March on! March on, on!

This song, originally named March of the Volunteers, was the theme song of the film, Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm. The film tells the story of those who went to the front to fight the Japanese invaders in northeast China in the 1930s, when the fate of the nation was hanging in the balance.

Moving and powerful, the March of the Volunteers gave voice to the Chinese people's determination to sacrifice themselves for national liberation, expressing China's admirable tradition of courage, resolution and unity in fighting foreign aggression. It was for this reason that the CPPCC on September 27, 1949 decided to adopt the song as the provisional national anthem of the PRC, and the NPC on December 4, 1982 officially decided to adopt the song as the national anthem of the PRC.

<<<National People's Congress>>>

National People's Congress

The NPC, the highest organ of state power in the PRC, consists of deputies elected by all the provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, special administrative regions and the armed forces. It exercises legislative power, revises the Constitution and supervises the implementation of the Constitution; examines and approves national economic and social development plans and reports on their implementation; examines and approves state budgets and reports on their implementation; and elects and decides on the choice of leading personnel of the highest state organs, i.e., elects the members of the Standing Committee of the NPC, the state president and vice-president, decides on the premier and other members of the State Council, and elects the chairman and other members of the Central Military Commission, the president of the Supreme People's Court, and the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The NPC has the power to recall the above-mentioned personnel.

The NPC is elected for a term of five years. It usually meets once a year. When the NPC is not in session its Standing Committee exercises state power. The NPC Standing Committee is composed of a chairman, several vice-chairmen, a secretary-general and additional members. Members of the NPC Standing Committee may not concurrently hold any position in any of the state administrative, judicial or procuratorial organs. Under normal circumstances, the NPC Standing Committee meets once every two months. Important day-to-day work is handled at executive meetings attended by the chairman, vice-chairmen and secretary-general. The current chairman of the NPC Standing Committee is Li Peng.

<<<Organizational Setup of the State>>>

Organizational Setup of the State

The state organs of the PRC include:

 Organs of state power-he National People's Congress and the local people's congresses;

 President of the state;

 State administrative organs-he State Council and the local people's governments;

 State leading military organ-he Central Military Commission;

 State judicial organs-he Supreme People's Court, local people's courts and special people's courts;

 State procuratorial organs-he Supreme People's Procuratorate, local people's procuratorates and special people's procuratorates.

<<<People's Courts>>>

People's Courts

The people's courts are judicial organs of the state. The Supreme People's Court is established at the state level, higher people's courts are established in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and intermediate and basic people's courts at lower levels. The Supreme People's Court, the highest state judicial organ, is responsible to the NPC and its Standing Committee and supervises the judicial work of the local people's courts, military courts and other special courts. The president of the Supreme People's Court is Xiao Yang.

The people's courts try all cases publicly, except those involving state secrets, individual privacy or minors. The accused has the right to defense. Besides the right to defend himself/herself, he or she may also be represented by a lawyer or ask near relatives or guardians to defend him/her.

<<<People's Procuratorates>>>

People's Procuratorates

The people's procuratorates in China are state organs for legal supervision. Their organization corresponds to that of the people's courts. The Procurator-General of the Supreme People誷 Procuratorate is Han Zhubin.

The people's procuratorates have the right to exercise procuratorial authority. They exercise procuratorial authority over cases seriously endangering state and public security, and infringing upon citizens' personal and democratic rights, and other important criminal cases; examine the cases scheduled for investigation by public security organs, and decide on whether a suspect should be arrested or not, and whether a case should be prosecuted or exempt from prosecution; institute and support public prosecution in criminal cases; and oversee activities in public security organs, people's courts, prisons, lockups and reform-through-labor institutions.

The people's procuratorates, as well as the people's courts, exercise their own authority, independent of interference by any administrative organ, social organization or individual person. All citizens are equal regarding application of the law.

<<<Political Parties and Social Organizations>>>

Political Parties and Social Organizations

China is a country of many political parties. Apart from the CPC, which is in power, China has eight non-Communist parties. Since their founding the latter have established cooperative relations with the CPC to different extents. The non-Communist parties responded to the call put forward by the CPC to hold the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and participated in the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC in September 1949 with the CPC and other democratic personages, at which the Common Program was adopted as the provisional constitution, and the Central People's Government was elected and founded, hence the founding of the People's Republic of China. Since then, all the non-Communist parties have earnestly participated in the consultations and decisions concerning important issues in the state's political life; and many representatives of the non-Communist parties have been elected deputies to the  people's congresses and members of the committees of the CPPCC at various levels. Many members of the non-Communist parties hold leading posts on the standing committees of the people's congresses, the committees of the CPPCC, government organs, and economic, cultural, educational, scientific and technological departments at various levels. The non-Communist parties of China are neither parties out of office, nor opposition parties, but  friendly parties that "coexist over a long period of time, engage in mutual supervision, show utter devotion to each other, and share honor and disgrace, weal and woe" with the CPC. They are parties participating in government and political affairs.

Communist Party of China    Founded in July 1921, the CPC today has more than 60 million members. From 1921 to 1949, the CPC led the Chinese people in their arduous struggles that finally led to the overthrow of the rule of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism with the establishment of the PRC. After the founding of New China, the CPC led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in defending the independence and safety of the country, successfully completing the transition from new democracy to socialism and carrying out systematic large-scale socialist construction, thus achieving economic and cultural progress unparalleled in Chinese history.

In September 1997, the CPC convened its 15th National Congress, a gathering of historic significance. The CPC 15th National Congress declared Deng Xiaoping Theory the guiding ideology of the whole Party, put forward the Party's basic program for the primary stage of socialism, and formulated the basic objectives and basic policies for economic, political and cultural development. It was clearly pointed out at the Congress that the period from now to the end of the first decade of the next century will be the key period for China's modernization drive. Therefore, it was stressed, China must actively promote fundamental changes in the economic system and economic growth modes, and establish a fairly complete socialist market economy to guarantee the sustained, rapid and healthy development of the national economy, and lay a solid foundation for the basic realization of modernization in the middle of the next century. Now the CPC is leading the Chinese people in building socialism with Chinese characteristics, and striving to achieve its ultimate goal-communism.

The highest leading bodies of the Communist Party of China are the national Party congress (which is held once every five years) and the Central Committee produced at the national Party congress. The Central Committee holds its plenum at least once annually. The Central Political Bureau (Politburo), the Politburo's Standing Committee and the general secretary of the Central Committee are elected at a plenary session of the Central Committee, which also decides on members of the Central Secretariat. The Central Political Bureau and its Standing Committee exercise the functions and powers of the Central Committee when it is not in session. The Central Secretariat attends to the day-to-day work  of the Politburo and its Standing Committee. The Central Committee's general secretary is responsible for convening meetings of the Central Political Bureau and its Standing Committee, and directs the work of the Central Secretariat. Jiang Zemin is the current general secretary.

China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang Founded in January 1948, the party has more than 60,000 members. The current Central Committee chairman is He Luli. It is for the most part composed of former Kuomintang members and those who have historical connections with the Kuomintang.

China Democratic League  Founded in October 1941, it now has more than 144,000 members, mostly intellectuals at fairly senior levels. The current Central Committee chairman is Ding Shisun.

China Democratic National Construction Association  Founded in December 1945, this party has more than 78,000 members, most of whom are from the economic field or academic specialists. The current Central Committee chairman is Cheng Siwei.

China Association for the Promotion of Democracy  Founded in December 1945, this party currently has more than 74,000 members. Its membership is mainly drawn from intellectuals working in educational, cultural, scientific and publishing fields. The current Central Committee chairman is Xu Jialu.

Chinese Peasants and Workers' Democratic Party  Founded in August 1930, it currently has more than 74,000 members, most of whom work in the fields of public health, culture and education or science and technology. The current Central Committee chairman is Jiang Zhenghua.

China Zhi Gong Dang  Founded in October 1925, this party currently has more than 18,000 members. Most of them are returned overseas Chinese, relatives of overseas Chinese, and representative individuals and specialists and scholars with overseas connections. The current Central Committee chairman is Luo Haocai.

Jiusan Society  Founded in December 1944, this party currently has more than 78,000 members. They are mostly high- and medium-level intellectuals working in science and technology, culture and education, or public health. The current Central Committee chairman is Wu Jieping.

Taiwan Democratic Self-government League  Founded in November 1947, this party has more than 1,800 members who are for the most part people born or with family roots in Taiwan currently residing on the mainland. The current Central Presidium chairman is Zhang Kehui.

There are a large number of social organizations in China, of which the major ones are the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the All-China Youth Federation, the All-China Women's Federation, and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

All-China Federation of Trade Unions  This mass organization is the supreme leading body of all the local trade union organizations and national industrial union organizations in China. Founded in May 1925, it currently has 89.13 million members. The current Executive Committee chairman is Wei Jianxing.

All-China Youth Federation  Founded in May 1949, this is a federation comprising all the youth organizations in China. The current chairman is Bayin Chaolu. Of the organizational members of the All-China Youth Federation, the Communist Youth League of China is the core, being a mass organization composed of China's advanced youth. Founded in May 1922, it currently has 68.71 million members. The current Central Committee first secretary is Zhou Qiang.

All-China Women's Federation  Founded in April 1949, this mass organization was founded to get women from all ethnic groups and all walks of life united to fight for women's further emancipation. The current Executive Committee chairwoman is Peng Peiyun.

All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce  Founded in October 1953, this people's association organized by people in industry and commerce functions as a non-governmental chamber of commerce for promoting business people's domestic and overseas ties. Its current Executive Committee chairman is Jing Shuping.

<<<President of the People's Republic of China>>>

President of the People's Republic of China

In combination with the NPC Standing Committee, the president of the PRC exercises his or her functions and powers as the head of state. The president, in pursuance of decisions of the NPC or its Standing Committee, promulgates laws, appoints and removes members of the State Council, issues orders, receives foreign diplomatic representatives on behalf of the PRC, dispatches and recalls plenipotentiary representatives abroad, and ratifies and abrogates treaties and important agreements reached with foreign states. The current president is Jiang Zemin, and the vice-president is Hu Jintao.

<<<State Council>>>

State Council

The State Council, the Central People's Government, is the highest state administrative body. The State Council carries out the laws enacted and decisions adopted by the NPC and its Standing Committee. The State Council is responsible to the NPC and its Standing Committee, and reports to them on its work. The State Council exercises the following functions and powers: in accordance with the Constitution and statutes, formulates administrative measures, enacts administrative regulations, promulgates decisions and orders; exercises unified leadership over the work of the ministries and commissions and the work of other organizations under its jurisdiction; exercises unified leadership over the work of local state administrative bodies at different levels throughout the country; draws up and implements national economic and social development plans, and the state budget; directs and administers economic work, urban and rural development, and work in education, science, culture, public health, physical culture and family planning; directs and administers civil affairs, public security, judicial administration and supervision, as well as national defense construction; manages foreign affairs and concludes treaties and agreements with foreign states; and in accordance with the law, appoints, removes and trains administrative officers, appraises their work, and rewards or penalizes them. The State Council is composed of the premier, vice-premiers, state councillors, the heads of the various ministries and commissions, the auditor-general and the secretary-general. The organizational structure of the current State Council is as follows:

<<<The People's Congress System>>>

The People's Congress System

All power in China belongs to the people. The organs through which the people exercise state power are the NPC and the local people's congresses. Therefore, the people's congress system is China's fundamental political system. Its basic characteristics are: It has extensive representation, and is the basic form for the people to administer the country. It follows the principle of democratic centralism, i.e., it guarantees that the people enjoy extensive democracy and rights, at the same time guaranteeing that state power is exercised in a centralized and unified way. Under the premise that the people's congresses exercise the state power in a unified way, the state's administrative power, judicial authority, procuratorial authority and the leadership over the armed forces are clearly divided to ensure that the organs of state power and administrative, judicial, procuratorial and other state organs work in a coordinated way.

Deputies to the people's congresses at all levels are elected, and are responsible to and accept supervision by the people. The deputies are broadly representative; they include people from all ethnic groups, all walks of life, and all regions, classes and strata. As they come from the people, they maintain close ties with their respective constituencies and the electorates, and earnestly listen to their views and demands. When the congresses meet to discuss issues concerning major policies and principles, they can air their views fully and carry out the decisions after they have been made. Hence, the people's views can be collected and the people can administer state affairs through the people's congresses.