The Chinese Communist Party

The policy of the People’s Republic of China is part of a socialist republic led by a single party, the Chinese Communist Party. As of the end of 2023, there are 99 million Communist Party members in China, 30.4% of whom are women, marking a encouraging increase of 4% compared to 2018.* Despite the immensity of the numbers, Communist Party members represent less than 7% of the Chinese population.

The Chinese state apparatus

State power is exercised through the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the central people’s government (State Council) and their provincial and local representation, but the Party has pre-eminence. The CCP General Secretary is the Party’s highest official, and usually the head of state. The Politburo Standing Committee is China’s most powerful decision-making body. It currently has seven members.

The National People’s Congress (NPC) is China’s national legislature. With 2,980 members in 2018**, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world. The NPC meets in plenary session for around two weeks a year and votes on important bills.

The LEGal system

China’s legal system is referred to as “the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics”. It is largely a civil code system, influenced by continental European legal systems, in particular the German civil law system of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The highest court in the Chinese legal system is the Supreme People’s Court, whose president is appointed by the NPC.

*source: http://en.cppcc.gov.cn/

** source: http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/Special_13_1/2018-03/04/content_2041132.htm