B412 week 4 lecture
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Lecture on the structure of the Chinese government.
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B412 week 4 lecture
- 1. School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s Government Week 4
- 2. Pearson College London XXXX 2 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Learning Outcomes Week 4 • China’s (state) Constitution • The Communist Party above all else • Security – military & police? What are their powers? • How big a player is China in a military sense? • What is the system of justice and law enforcement? • Media – who controls what? • What is the nature of social welfare?
- 3. Pearson College London XXXX 3 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government What is Chinese Communism? Communism was meant to spread around the world. But "when the Chinese go to Africa, they aren't taking communism. They are taking the market economy in one of its wildest forms. We are not talking about the expansionist communism of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s any longer, anywhere in the world.“ - Robert Service, author of ‘Comrades! A history of World Communism’ Image Source: arcticcompass.blogspot.com
- 4. Pearson College London XXXX 4 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government 2 parallel structures The State Council ostensibly governs China BUT in reality, governance is through the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Politburo The influence of the Party permeates everything Image source: www.marketminder.com
- 5. Pearson College London XXXX 5 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Structure of Chinese Government
- 6. Pearson College London XXXX 6 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Structure of the Chinese Communist Party 中国共产党 Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng
- 7. Pearson College London XXXX 7 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Elections to NPC Local • County Level Representatives Provincial • Provincial People’s Congress National • National People’s Congress (3000)
- 8. Pearson College London XXXX 8 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Non governmental body Meets annually to coincide with NCP Conference Handpicked advisors for their expertise 70% of delegates are from the Communist Party
- 9. Pearson College London XXXX 9 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Army, Navy & Air force 2.28 million personnel / 0.18% of population
- 10. Pearson College London XXXX 10 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Military People's Liberation Army (PLA: 中国人民解放军Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn) • People’s Liberation Army–Navy (PLAN) • PLA -Air Force (PLAAF) Conscription – compulsory on paper - for all 18-22 year olds to carry out 24 months military service Under the command of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party and not Ministry of Defence in State Council
- 11. Pearson College London XXXX 11 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Military Spending –Quiz • Do you know which country spends the most on their military in the world? USA • Any idea of the value of the annual budget? US$640bn • What about China? US$188bn • Where does China rank in terms of military spend? #2 • Where does China spend its military budget? Technologies / Long-range missiles / Salaries / Cyber Image source: decryptedmatrix.com
- 12. Pearson College London XXXX 12 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government JUDICIARY CourtStructure Supreme Court Local Court Higher Peoples’ Court – (Provincial) Intermediate People’s Court (Prefecture) Basic People’s Court (Town & County) Specialist Court (Military)
- 13. Pearson College London XXXX 13 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Police Mission is maintenance of peace and order Operates separate from the PLA Split into two parts: 1. Public Security Bureau 2. Para Military Police
- 14. Pearson College London XXXX 14 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Welfare State & Health Former welfare situation: ‘Work Unit’ (danwei 单位）in SOEs provided ‘cradle to grave’ support including Housing / Education / Pension / Medical insurance New Private Sector – where insurance for everything has to be paid for privately Universal Healthcare: widespread in large cities, basic in rural areas
- 15. Pearson College London XXXX 15 School of Business International Business Regions: China China’s government Media Strict control through Communist Party media outlets All media outlets subject to Party Propaganda Department CCTV – relays party approved messages Social Media – Weibo (meaning micro blog) – similar to Twitter – 156 million active users We Chat – private messaging has 468 million accounts Image source: blogs.bmj.com
Editor's Notes
- [ALLOW: 1 minute] Last week we looked at China’s rise and emergence onto the world stage after almost a century of turmoil and chaos. Today we are going to look at how China is governed today. Can anyone remember how China has been governed over the ages and the principle that defined imperial rule? (everything under Heaven and Earth tian 天下）
- [Allow 2 minutes] How do you control a country that is continental in size and is home to a quarter of the world’s population? Who is in charge? How are the leaders elected? What does the Communist Party look like? Can economic and social revolution take place without political change? What is the mandate of the Chinese government? Quick and simple question for you: can anyone define what government is? It is the body that runs the state – BUT what we will look at today is the complexity of what that means in the Chinese context. We will look at all these things today as well as the role of the police, the military, the justice system. We will also look at the role and control of the media – the voice of the state. We will also take a brief look at the provision of social welfare and how this has changed over recent years.
- [Allow 2 minutes] Can anyone tell me what communism means? [It is a Marxism-Leninism based theory of government which believes that everyone should be equal removing the elite and the class system. Everyone must play their part to assist the state and participate equally. Consequently, the government has a lot of authority and strict control]. As it happens, China rarely references itself as being a communist country anymore but rather a socialist country with Chinese characteristics. In China’s case Marxist-Leninist Thought has been watered down with Mao Zedong Thought, Three Represents of Hu Jintao and Deng Xiaoping Theory to make a very Chinese ideological mesh. Overall, though, the main principle of communism is still held in China; that is that the state should own and benefit from the success of key industries and businesses. Capitalist tendencies work if everyone can benefit from them. Other communist states have fallen when there has been social or economic reform.
- [Allow 2 minutes] What is the government in China? What you must remember when it comes to China is that there are two parallel structures in place; ostensibly it is the State Council that governs China but in reality it is the body behind the government, the 24 leaders of the CCP in the Politburo, who govern China. The Party line and its authority is insinuated into everything. The CCP leads forces across society to create a harmonious whole. Regime change, signalled at the Party Plenum every 5 years, tells you exactly who will take the leadership roles.
- [ALLOW 8 minutes] **Note: Military Affairs Commission is usually now called the Central Military Commission** China’s Communist Party dominates state and society in China, is committed to maintaining a permanent monopoly on power, and is intolerant of those who question its right to rule. The Executive is the State Council The Legislature is the National People’s Congress and is the equivalent of Parliament The State Council is the administrative arm of government, equivalent to the UK Civil Service Local People Congresses – are effectively regional NPC’s [SOURCE: Chinese Constitution] Judiciary is the courts and prosecutors BUT all three are linked to the party and most are party members As you will see from this diagram, according to the Chinese constitution, the National People’s Congress (the legislature) is at the heart of government and holds its congress usually around March). It is controlled by the Politburo, however, and power resides in the Chinese Communist party (also known as the CCP). At the top echelons of power are the 24 Members of the CCP Politburo and its Standing Committee of 7 men. The Standing Committee has traditionally been a first-among-equals leadership with each man holding a specific portfolio of responsibilities. It is the highest decision-making body. One member of the Standing Committee is also head of the party known as its General Secretary. Currently holding this role is President Xi Jinping. The General Secretary is also often the Commander in Chief of the Military. Xi Jinping currently holds the role of General Secretary, Party in Chief and President. The role of Commander in Chief is elected nominally by the NPC but is actually rubberstamped by the NPC on the suggestion of the Politburo of the Communist Party. The State Council carries out the day-to-day administration of the country and is delegated this authority under ultimate control of the Party with Li Keqiang at its head. So what is the power structure of the Communist Party? It is quite complicated and not helped by the fact that there are bodies with similar sounding names! The National People’s Congress comprises delegates from all over China who generally are, but don’t have to be members of the Chinese Communist Party. The State Council and the heads of the provincial and local governments are usually also Party members to ensure state control. The NPC is the legislative body in China; unlike the UK where there are two legislative ‘Chambers’ – the House of Lords and the House of Commons – and in the US – a federation of subunits – there is only one legislative body in China. The Party states that the reason for this is that it means that the process of law-making is much faster, more efficient and less costly to run. There is also the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Both these congresses hold large meetings every 5 years although there have been some gaps over recent history. Head of Party is now kept for 10 years but this is relatively new over the last 2 decades. Xi Jinping is expected to be head until 2022. In addition there are also two standing committees, the more powerful of which is the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. This is a standing committee for the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the standing committee for the National People’s Congress, a representative group of the National People’s Congress who meet more than once every 5 years
- [ALLOW 8 minutes] Source for graph - http://www.chinatoday.com/org/cpc/ At the end of 2012 the structure of the Communist Party included 4.2 million grassroots Party organs across the country established in nearly all government organs, state-owned and private enterprises, and social organizations. Hundreds of thousands of grassroots organs are set up all over China from sub-districts, towns and villages. Source: (Xinhua) 10:57, July 01, 2013 National Congress of the CPC – comprises approximately 2,500 delegates – meets every 5 years and announces decisions or changes of direction already agreed by the Central Committee and above. They meet in the Great Hall of the People, a huge building situated in the west of Tiananmen Square. The delegates come from all the branch organizations and provincial representatives. The Central Committee of the CPC – meets at least once a year. In 2014 the committee comprised 205 members – these members are ministers, senior regulatory officials, provincial leaders, and military officers. The Central Committee acts as a sort of board of directors for the CCP, and its mandate is to select the Politburo, which has around twenty-five members. There are currently 24 Members (2014). The Committee convenes at least once a year at a plenary session - called a "plenum“ - and functions as a top forum for discussion about relevant policy issues. They have met 4 times since their election in Nov 2012. The next plenum is set for October 2015. [source Constitution of the Communist Party]. The Politburo meets monthly and the Standing Committee weekly. The agenda is set by the General Secretary - (currently Xi Jinping) – and decisions are made by consensus rather than by the majority. The General Secretary of the Communist party by convention is also elected President of China. (Today both roles are held by Xi Jinping) Many of the Political Bureau (‘Politburo’) Members are appointed to positions of state authority which may mean government minister level or higher. The 18th Politburo was elected at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China of China in November 2012. All power resides in the Standing Committee of which there are presently 7 Members including the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping. According to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, the Central Committee is tasked with "carrying out the decisions of the National Congress, leading the work of the party, and representing the party internationally." The Central Committee is therefore technically the "party's highest organ of authority" when the National Congress is not in session. The Central Committee has the power to elect the General Secretary and the members of the Politburo, its Standing Committee, and the Central Military Commission. The selection of the initial candidates for the Politburo is made by the by the outgoing Politburo Standing Committee. In the recent past, the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping made these selections. (Source: http://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/CLM36CL.pdf – Cheng Li - ‘Preparing for the 18th Party Congress) The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC is the party’s watchdog and deals with corruption within the party. More than 180,000 party officials were punished for corruption in 2013 . “Some Party organs are not strict with enlisting members and the quality of members who are recruited needs improvement,” said a statement released after the meeting.
- [ALLOW 4 minutes] In a sense there is democracy of sorts in the NPC – as direct elections take place at county level to elect representatives. Minimum criteria for election include the candidate being 18 years old or over and nominated by the CCP or any other political party or any voter nominated and seconded by 3 others. These county level representatives then elect representatives at the provincial level who elect 3,000 to the national congress. The NPC’s primary role is to formulate suitable legislation based on direction from the Politburo. However, delegates have little or no power to affect policy, but are able to pass on the sentiment & grievances of all those they represent. The Communist party is represented by 70% of the delegates In practice, only one political party, the CCP, holds effective power at the national level. Its dominance is such that China is effectively a single-party state. Eight minor parties also participate in the political system. However, they have limited power on a national level and are almost completely subservient to the CPC; they must accept the "leading role" of the CPC as a condition of being allowed to exist.
- [ALLOW 3 minutes] The CPPCC, is not part of the government but rather acts as an advisory committee to offer ideas to the NPC after conducting in-depth studies on issues facing Chinese society. Its members, while also handpicked, come from a wider swath of Chinese society and include celebrities like basketball player Yao Ming, actor Jackie Chan and recent Nobel laureate Mo Yan. They have been particularly active when it comes to raising environmental concerns. The CPPCC meets at the same time as the National People’s Congress annually and represents the only real opposition voice. The membership is perhaps more of a PR stunt than a real opportunity to make changes. “YAO MING: The CPPCC can provide a platform for the ruling party to hear the different voices of the people and to solve their problems. Our responsibility is that we have to voice the truth. We should have our own opinions. It is important to have an independent thinking toward everything. Communicating with others who work in the same field or different fields is also important. With this, we can see things in an objective way. Working this way can provide us with different kinds of answers.” [Source; http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20130303/105287.shtml]
- [ALLOW 1 minute] [IMAGE source: http://www.risingpowersinitiative.org/chinas-military-budget-increase-draws-responses-from-asian-powers/ QUESTION: Any idea how big China’s armed forces are? The largest in the world with 2.28m people compared to US with 1.43 million.
- [ALLOW 3 minutes] The PLA is the military of the PRC was established on August 1, 1927 Women are allowed in combat roles; the first class of women warship commanders was in 2011 (2012) Source: CIA World Factbook) Whilst Conscription is compulsory, in practice, Beijing has never enforced the draft as the PLA has always been able to recruit enough volunteers from peasant youth, desperate to get out of the impoverished countryside. Young people seeking to enter tertiary education have been exempt from military service. That said, there is Military Training in all schools & universities with an overriding political aim, rather than military, and reflects deep concerns in the Beijing bureaucracy about the potential for rebellion among the new generation of Chinese youth. Military training is designed to encourage patriotism. Prior to the 1990s, the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, had many commercial interests. These were hived off by the Central Government as there was a risk that these gave the PLA too much of power base. This change was also an attempt to reduce corruption. Many of these enterprises are now owned by retired military and not present members of the PLA. (Source: East West Centre – Hawaii) As mentioned before, the President & General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jing Ping is commander in chief of the Military. Authority over the military comes from the Central Military Commission of the CCP and not the Ministry of Defence in the State Council.
- [ALLOW 5 minutes] Bullets questions & answers to appear on mouse click Q1. Any ideas how much money the US spent on its military budget in 2013? A1. Ranked #1 in the world. Q2. f you knew that the US spent US$640 billion on its military budget in 2013, how much do you think China spends? A2. US$188bn Q3. And where do you think it ranks in the world in terms of military spending? A2. #2 Q4. Where does China spend its military budget? A4. on the following: Cost-effective technologies that target weaknesses in the platforms on which America depends for projecting power in the Western Pacific, such as strike carrier groups, nearby bases and military satellites. A large part of China’s military budget goes on increasingly long-range anti-ship, air-defence and land-attack missiles launched from shore-based batteries, land-based aircraft, guided-missile destroyers, fast patrol boats and submarines and increased salaries for this more professional army. Source: http://www.economist.com/news/china/21599046-chinas-fast-growing-defence-budget-worries-its-neighbours-not-every-trend-its-favour 4. Cyber warfare - 2013 Pentagon report accused Beijing of making cyber warfare a key part of its strategy as it jostles with the US for dominance in South-east Asia.Cyber Warfare is already a huge area of spend As a % of GDP, China spends less than the UK & France, and only 1/3rd of what the USA spends. Many commentators believe that Chinese military spend is actually 40% higher than these figures suggest – such is the lack of transparency of Chinese statistics. China’s total spend is equivalent to the total of all its East Asian neighbours, which has encouraged Japan, Vietnam and South Korea to raise their military expenditure in response to the Chinese military build-up.
- [ALLOW 5 minutes] Do you know what common law is? Common law is based on precedent and interpretation of written laws (like in the UK) and civil law is based on codes of civil codes (written rules) What about Civil Society? This includes all the businesses and industries that can be used by the citizen. A civil society must abide by the laws set out by the government but it is not under its control. Civil society creates jobs for the citizen and includes social clubs, charities and the media. China’s judicial system is NOT based on common law as found in UK & USA and other parts of the UK Commonwealth & Hong Kong until 2047. Constitutionally, the court system is intended to exercise judicial power independently and free of interference from administrative organs, public organizations, and individuals. Yet the constitution simultaneously emphasizes the principle of the "leadership of the Communist Party” In many instances there is plenty of law, but implementation is often not practised. Example where there is an Intellectual Property violation and a Court Judgment is given to a Company, acknowledging that there has been a breech of copyright, but then the piece of paper is worthless as there is no process to enforce the Judgement. In practice, the Party will get involved and decide the outcome if there is a sensitive, ideological reason to do so or for corruption charges but for commercial lawsuits the process of law is different. State prosecutors are called ‘Procuratorates’ who bring cases against individuals. Judges & Assessors are selected from the local NPC who are directed by Communist Party political-legal committee in their decision making. Trials are conducted by 3 judges or 3 judges & 2 Assessors and there is no jury system Trials are conducted in an inquisitorial manner, in which both judges and assessors play an active part in the questioning of all witnesses. (This contrasts with the adversarial system, in which the judge is meant to be an impartial referee between two contending lawyers.) After the judge and assessors rule on a case, they pass sentence. An aggrieved party can appeal to the next higher court.
- [ALLOW 5 minutes] IMAGE SOURCES: Wikipedia The role of the police, called the Public Security Bureau, is to maintain peace and order. The police wear a blue uniform. The public security station generally has considerably broader responsibilities than a police station in the UK, involving itself in every aspect of the district people‘s lives. From the Hukou 户口 registration (right to reside) to criminal activity. Local police stations control census and household registration matters, pre trial investigations, welfare, traffic control, and have a detention centre. Its criminal law activities include investigation, apprehension, interrogation, and temporary detention. The station's household section maintains a registry of all persons living in the area. Births, deaths, marriages, and divorces were recorded and confirmed through random household checks. The station regulates all hotels and requires visitors who remain beyond a certain number of days to register. All theatres, cinemas, radio equipment, and printing presses are also registered with the local public security station, permitting it to regulate gatherings and censor information effectively. It also regulates the possession, transportation, and use of all explosives, guns, ammunition, and poisons. [Personal story:I remember travelling in rural Sichuan province in 1990 and staying in a very basic guesthouse one night. The owners originally said that we could not stay there and were clearly fearful of us as they did not have an official licence to house foreigners. In the middle of the night the police arrived, hammered on our door, took our passports and subjected us to interrogation. Eventually we were taken to a different hotel and ordered to stay there]. The police hold a dossier on everyone, including foreigners. The Para Military Police – who wear an olive green uniform – employs roughly 1.5 million people who are seen guarding public buildings (e.g: in Tiananmen Square) This is a specialist unit whose central role is counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism and disaster response coordinator. It also has a remit to protect forests, water, public transportation and gold mining. [Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13904437?print=true] The People's Armed Police Force, with its 1.5 million personnel, is organized into 45 divisions. These include internal security police, border defence personnel, guards for government buildings and embassies, and police communications specialists. Source: http://www.mps.gov.cn/English/index.htm
- [ALLOW 6 minutes] The work unit or danwei was a government form of control into the lives of everybody. It guaranteed employment and controlled the individual including giving the right to marry, to go to university, to change jobs, permission to travel and allocation of food including grain and riceHowever, this work unit structure was dismantled in 2003 giving citizens ostensibly more freedoms but at the same time created financial problems for individuals who now had to pay for these themselves. Pensions: In cities, there are different pension systems for civil servants, public services workers, urban employees and urban residents and varying payments for urban and rural dwellers. [Source: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/apr/23/china-welfare-system-inflexible-unfair] A growing number of companies are doing their part by enrolling their workers in government programmes that grant industrial injury benefits, maternity leave and unemployment benefits. While in name China has achieved universal health coverage in recent years, benefits remain low and quality and extent of care and coverage vary widely. China has come a long way in a very short time. Consistent with ongoing efforts, public social spending rose to 9% of GDP in 2012, against 6% in 2007. Though this level of spending is still considerably lower than the OECD average of 22% of GDP, progress has undoubtedly been impressive. Chinese demographics, particularly of the ageing population, is a ticking time bomb for the government and its budgets in the years to come. [Source: OECD.org]
- [ALLOW 5 minutes] News and information is strictly controlled via the Chinese propaganda machine. The China News Agency, Xinhua, is factually very accurate and does not run opinion pieces. The voice of the state is the People’s Daily and the newer Global Times who take their queues from the party. It is often said that we are living in an internet revolution. Clearly there is an abundance of information freely and readily available via the web. Social Media By January 2013- 42% of Chinese were online – 156 Million using weibo. Private messaging system, We Chat & Snap Chat which do allow individuals to share information beyond their own private networks. 75% of Chinese web users access the Internet on Mobile Devices. Over 53% of all Weibo users were born after 1990’s and over 70% are University educated. [Source: China Internet Watch – January 2014] Oct 2013 - http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/two-million-monitoring-internet-in-china-state-media-428303 China is employing two million people to keep tabs on people's Internet use in a vast online surveillance operation. According to Beijing News, many of the employees are simply performing keyword searches to monitor the tens of millions of messages being posted daily on popular social media and microblogging sites. Their role is to prevent social unrest and limit criticism of the ruling Communist party. Facebook and Twitter, were banned after they were considered instrumental in creating the uprisings, the Arab Spring, in the Middle East in 2010. Information is power. In China the Party wants to maintain the power and to clamp down on voices of dissent. It may be that in the area of online media it cannot exert its influence as strictly as it does elsewhere through organisations and societal control.