Democratic parties (China)

In the People's Republic of China (PRC), there are eight minor and non-oppositional political parties, officially termed democratic parties (Chinese: 民主党派; pinyin: Mínzhǔ dǎngpài), that are permitted to exist by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

These parties were all founded before the PRC's establishment, participated in the drafting of the Common Program and the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference which led to the PRC's founding. The parties ceased operations during the Cultural Revolution, but resumed operations during the reform and opening up era. The democratic parties exist under the leadership of the CCP, and are not opposition parties. They participate in various state bodies such as the National People's Congress, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the State Council. Membership to these parties is restrictive; prospective party members need a reference from senior party members to join the parties, and membership applications are vetted by the CCP's United Front Work Department, which also selects the leaders of the parties. The work of the parties are mostly consultative in nature, including doing research and giving proposals to the CCP.

History

The democratic parties have all been founded before the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. They participated in the drafting of the Common Program and the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[1] On 22 August 1966, amidst the Cultural Revolution, all of the democratic parties ceased operations after an ultimatum by the Beijing Middle School Red Guards. They did not restore their operations until 1978.[2] From the mid-1980s to 2013, their membership increased from 170,000 to 700,000.[3]

Role

The democratic parties are officially described as "neither parties out of office nor opposition parties".[4] These parties are almost completely subservient to the CCP, and must accept the "leading role" of the CCP as a condition of their continued existence.[5] The official party system of the PRC is termed the "system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CCP." The relationship between these parties and the CCP has officially been described as "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision, treating each other with full sincerity and sharing weal or woe".[6] According to Human Rights Watch, these parties "play an advisory rather than an oppositional role".[7] According to Aaron Friedberg, these parties' "purpose is to create the illusion of inclusiveness and representation."[8] The democratic parties take part in "united front work" and also take part in the political system, but they have no power at a national level.[9][10]

The Chinese political system allows for the participation of some members of the eight minor parties and other non-CCP members in the National People's Congress (NPC), but they are vetted by the CCP.[7] The parties also participate in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).[3] Democratic party members can also be appointed to the State Council; in 2007 Wan Gang of the China Zhi Gong Party was appointed as the minister of science and technology, while Chen Zhu of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party became minister of health.[4] The democratic parties are funded by the fiscal revenue of the government.[11] One of the ways the CCP controls the minor parties is through its United Front Work Department (UFWD), which vets the membership applications and selects who is the leader of these parties.[12] UFWD also keeps the parties in check by preventing them from expanding widely in counties and villages.[12] Prospective party members need a reference from senior party members to join the party.[11] CCP members are usually not allowed to join the democratic parties, though they can transfer to work at the democratic parties subject to the request and consent of democratic parties and with the approval of the higher CCP Party committee.[13] Members of democratic parties can apply to join the CCP without needing to withdraw from the democratic parties.[14] Members of the People's Police and the People's Liberation Army cannot join the democratic parties.[12] The cadres of the eight parties are trained at the Central Institute of Socialism.[15]

The work of democratic parties are mainly consultative in nature, including doing research, making proposals and giving advice to the CCP. Since the early 1990s, the democratic parties have been tasked with conducting surveys on various matters.[12] Members can do a policy survey by drafting a brief plan, which includes problem description, object, and research design, to their local branch, which is submitted each March. If approved, members receive research funding and are given six months to finish the research. A meeting is then held in September to discuss the results.[11] Party members can also file a problem report of approximately 1,000 words including a summary of the problem, analysis, and advice and submit it to the Department of Political Participation of the local party branch, which can refer it to higher authorities including the local CPPCC branch or the UFWD based on its quality. Proposals at the local level can either be adopted or added to the party's proposals at the CPPCC, while an explanation is given if the proposal is rejected. Senior party members, who are elected as members of the CPPCC, can directly submit proposals to the CPPCC's local committees and the National Committee.[11]

List

There is officially a ranking system of the parties; according to the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the ranking is based on their "contribution to the new democratic revolution".[16]

Ranking Party Year founded Members (2022) Leader NPC seats NPCSC seats NCCPPCC seats[a]
1. Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK)
中国国民党革命委员会 (民革)
Zhōngguó Guómíndǎng Gémìng Wěiyuánhuì (Míngé) 		1948 158,000[17] Zheng Jianbang
郑建邦
44 / 2,980
6 / 175
65 / 544
2. China Democratic League (CDL)
中国民主同盟 (民盟)
Zhōngguó Mínzhǔ Tóngméng (Mínméng) 		1941 356,900[18] Ding Zhongli
丁仲礼
57 / 2,980
9 / 175
65 / 544
3. China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA)
中国民主建国会 (民建)
Zhōngguó Mínzhǔ Jiànguó Huì (Mínjiàn) 		1945 237,526[19] Hao Mingjin
郝明金
57 / 2,980
3 / 175
65 / 544
4. China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD)
中国民主促进会 (民进)
Zhōngguó Mínzhǔ Cùjìn Huì (Mínjìn) 		1945 200,000[20] Cai Dafeng
蔡达峰
58 / 2,980
7 / 175
45 / 544
5. Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (CPWDP)
中国农工民主党 (农工党)
Zhōngguó Nónggōng Mínzhǔdǎng (Nónggōngdǎng) 		1930 192,000[21] He Wei
何维
54 / 2,980
7 / 175
45 / 544
6. China Zhi Gong Party (CZGP)
中国致公党 (致公党)
Zhōngguó Zhì Gōng Dǎng (Zhìgōngdǎng) 		1925 69,000[22] Jiang Zuojun
蒋作君
38 / 2,980
3 / 175
30 / 544
7. Jiusan Society (JS)
九三学社
Jiǔsānxuéshè 		1945 222,000[23] Wu Weihua
武维华
63 / 2,980
4 / 175
45 / 544
8. Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (TDSL)
台湾民主自治同盟 (台盟)
Táiwān Mínzhǔ Zìzhì Tóngméng (Táiméng) 		1947 3,400[24] Su Hui
苏辉
13 / 2,980
3 / 175
20 / 544

Membership scope

Per a 1996 document issued by the UFWD, each democratic party is composed of a certain demographic:[25]

  • The RCCK consists mainly of people who have links with the Kuomintang, have historical and social connections with the committee, or have relationships with Taiwan along with specialists in social and legal affairs, and in business relating to agriculture, rural areas, and rural people.[25]
  • The CDL is mainly made up of mid and senior-level intellectuals in the fields of culture, education, natural and social sciences, and technology.[12]
  • The CNDCA is mainly made up of entrepreneurs from the building, manufacturing, construction, financial, or commercial industries in both private and state sectors, and others in the field of economics.[26]
  • The CAPD mainly represents high-level intellectuals engaged in education and cultural publishing media.[26]
  • The CPWDP is made up of members who mostly work in the fields of public health, medicine, and associated fields in science and technology.[26]
  • The CZGP is mainly made up of the middle and higher ranks of returned overseas Chinese and their relatives, and representatives of people with overseas connections.[25]
  • The JS mostly consists of high- and medium-level intellectuals in the fields of science, technology, and education.[25]
  • The TSDL mostly composed of prominent people from Taiwan or people of Taiwanese heritage who now reside on the mainland.[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Seats for political parties

References

  1. ^ "Part 2: CCP and other politicians 1948". The Common Program of the People's Republic of China 1949-1954. Archived from the original on 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  2. ^ ""文化大革命"对统一战线的严重破坏" [The "Cultural Revolution" severely damaged the United Front]. Chinese Communist Party News Network. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  3. ^ a b Jacobs, Andrew (2013-03-13). "Non-Communist Parties Lend China an Air of Pluralism, Without the Mess". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  4. ^ a b "China's one-party system has a surprising number of parties". The Economist. 9 March 2017. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  5. ^ Tselichtchev, Ivan, ed. (2012-01-02). China Versus the West: The Global Power Shift of the 21st Century. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:10.1002/9781119199311. ISBN 978-1-119-19931-1. OCLC 883259659.
  6. ^ "IV. The System of Multi-Party Cooperation and Political Consultation". China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  7. ^ a b "China: Nipped In The Bud - Background". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  8. ^ Friedberg, Aaron L. (2022). Getting China Wrong. Cambridge. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-509-54512-4. OCLC 1310457810.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ Kesselman, Mark (2012-01-01). Introduction to Politics of the Developing World: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas. Cengage Learning. p. 324. ISBN 978-1-133-71258-9.
  10. ^ Liao, Xingmiu; Tsai, Wen-Hsuan (2019). "Clientelistic State Corporatism: The United Front Model of "Pairing-Up" in the Xi Jinping Era". China Review. 19 (1): 31–56. ISSN 1680-2012. JSTOR 26603249.
  11. ^ a b c d Wang, Xiaofeng (3 March 2018). "What Do China's Democratic Parties Actually Do?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e Baptista, Eduardo (2021-06-11). "Are there other political parties in China?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  13. ^ "共产党员是否可以加入民主党派？" [Can Communist Party members join democratic parties?]. Chinese Communist Party News Network. 10 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  14. ^ "民主党派成员和无党派爱国人士能否入党？" [Can members of democratic parties and non-partisan patriots join the party?]. People's Daily. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  15. ^ "中央社会主义学院为啥与众不同？" [Why is the Central Institute of Socialism different?]. Sohu. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  16. ^ "我国八个民主党派排序考" [An Examination of the Ranking of my country's Eight Democratic Parties]. Lishui Municipal Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (in Chinese). 2 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Zheng Jianbang elected chairman of Chinese KMT Revolutionary Committee". Xinhua News Agency. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  18. ^ 中国民主同盟简介 [Introduction to the China Democratic League]. China Democratic League (in Chinese). 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  19. ^ "新闻背景：中国民主建国会" [News background: China National Democratic Construction Association]. Xinhua News Agency. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  20. ^ "新闻背景：中国民主促进会" [News background: China Association for Promoting Democracy]. Xinhua News Agency. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  21. ^ "新闻背景：中国农工民主党" [News background: Chinese Peasants and Workers Party]. Xinhua News Agency. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  22. ^ "新闻背景：中国致公党" [News background: China Zhi Gong Party]. Xinhua News Agency. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  23. ^ "九三学社简介" [Introduction to Jiusan Society]. Jiusan Society. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  24. ^ "新闻背景：台湾民主自治同盟" [News background: Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League]. Xinhua News Agency. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e Wei, Changhao (2018-03-10). "Demographics of the 13th NPC (Updated)". NPC Observer. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
  26. ^ a b c Benewick, Robert; Donald, Stephanie Hemelryk (2009). The State of China Atlas: Mapping the World's Fastest-Growing Economy (1st ed.). University of California Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-520-25610-1. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctv1xxv63. OCLC 948690686.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_parties_(China)