Aimen Babur
CHINESE ascendance to global power remains the source of amazement for many across the globe. Despite odds, China managed to stun the world with its social and economic development. This fate was achieved only through a unique amalgamation of communist and westernized democracy. Initially viewed as a rigid socialist society deprived of any economic resources, China is now making headlines through its amazing governance model designed to benefit its citizens at all levels. Experts are now studying the characteristics of the said governance model in detail so as to delve deeper into the infrastructure which brought about this huge success. The Chinese governance structure incorporated a series of institutional reforms to ensure that the benefits of economic progression are felt at grass root level. The reform process was initiated by Chairman Mao in 1949 and was taken forward by his successors Deng Xiaoping and President Xi Jinping. The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) acted as a catalyst during these reforms and guided the state in social, political and economic spheres. With President Xi Jinping, the socialist government undertook a paradigm shift where the national rhetoric has been revived through institutionalized leadership and guidance. The China Dream, as conceived by President Xi, encapsulates prosperity, harmony and shared destiny so as to tackle with imbalanced economic progress in Chinese society. His interventions have actually aided China in enhancing its significance in both regional and global context through various economic and diplomatic interventions.
Although CPC has an apex role in their governance structure, however, contrary to popular belief, China does not function like one party state. CPC acts as a father figure of the nation and prefers to guide its people rather than functioning as a monolithic governance regime. The ‘party-state system’, as employed by Chinese authorities, allows the administration to delegate regional autonomy to lower levels. The pluralist governance structure has made a clear distinction between party and state where party is responsible for policy prioritizations and cadre management while State is held accountable for implementation of policies at all levels. Therefore, Chinese governance model is an intricate balance of centralization and decentralization where policy agenda is finalized by employing bottom up approach whereas its implementation takes place in top down manner. While understanding the complex nature of governance structures, the CPC is divided into three hierarchical stages for ensuring smooth functioning of Party. The top level comprises the National Congress, the Central Committee and Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC). Here, the PBSC includes top brass leadership of China. The second level consists of secretariat of Central Committee, two Special Commissions, Military Commission and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Here, CCDI encompasses all the specialized groups which play a major role in policy formulation. The third level handles all the day-to-day administrative issues of China. Due to decentralized structure proposed by CPC, the local governance system is divided into provincial, municipal, county and township levels. The CPC’s structure discussed is replicated within all structural units.
On the other hand, the Chinese State comprises legislative, administrative and judicial branches in all tiers of governance. All of these factions are responsible to work collectively and ensure smooth execution of policy directives issued by Central Committee. The legislative branch overlooks the legal enactment of plans through People’s Congress. The administrative level controls all aspects of governance through the State Council which is headed by Prime Minister and comprises different ministers responsible for their respective departments. Similarly, the judicial branch plays an extensive role in good governance by devising a detailed accountability mechanism for course of action issued by legislative branch. Therefore, it is quite clear that this dual governance model is based upon principles of collective and consensus based decisions where all party and government officials are involved directly in decision making at different tiers.
Another unique aspect of Chinese governance model is its “selection instead of election” approach. Chinese leadership does not approve of electoral system employed by western powers. They are confident that a single election could not adhere to the needs of a diversified society as China. Their selection system reverberates with their distinctive cultural traditions where “wise and able” individuals are nominated for taking the country’s vision forward. Despite Western propaganda, this approach does not account to totalitarianism as it approves of liberal social values propagating within society. A less popular fact is that Chinese community is, in fact, involved in elections at county levels. The representatives chosen by common men are then responsible for choosing representatives at federal and provincial levels. Therefore, the Western propaganda against this scrupulous governance model is baseless and is only used as a part of fifth generation war against China. All things considered, it is pertinent to mention that Chinese governance model is the ideal system combining the best values of socialist and democratic ideals. Self-governance is practiced widely at every level through Congress and Government. Chinese authorities deem the inclusion of locals in administrative processes as mandatory which is evident by the institutional reforms inclined towards decentralization. Such value based political meritocracy is ideal for fostering a value-based political structure responsible for fostering Chinese culture and traditions.
—The writer is Project Manager, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.
