Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Friday, March 05, 2010

China's multi-party politics

If your textbook doesn't have a footnote about China's plethora of political parties, you can print out this BBC article and tape it to the inside back cover. It's probably all you need to know about China's multi-party system. The article is probably not up to BBC standards for impartial reporting, but the multi-party system gets about as much respect as it earns.

China's democratic 'window dressing'

University professor Xu Hui is a rare breed of politician in China - he is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr Xu [right] is the vice-chairman of the China Democratic League (CDL), one of eight non-communist political parties in China…

Their members are taking part in this year's annual parliamentary session, which begins on Friday...

The eight democratic parties, as they are termed, were formed before the communists took power in China in 1949.

They include the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), the China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD) and the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (CPWDP).

Mr Xu is vice-chairman of the biggest party, the CDL, which has more than 200,000 members scattered across the country…

As he relaxed in his hotel room before the start of the CPPCC, he told the BBC that his party plays a vital role in China's political system.

"We go to the countryside, we go to factories, and we go to schools and universities," said the softly spoken professor.

"We talk to people and try to sum up their problems, reach recommendations and then present our reports to the government."…

But the eight democratic parties do not get into public arguments with the communists - that is not their job.

Under the Chinese system, the role of these non-communist political parties is to advise the communists, not to challenge their position as the ruling party...

Indeed, in some respects Mr Xu thinks China's political system has advantages over those used in the West.

"In our system it's much easier to reach agreement and to put our policies into reality," he said, referring to the lack of formal constraints on the ruling party's power.

"In some countries they spend a very long time discussing a small problem. If they cannot get agreement, the work is just put aside."

And that, for Mr Xu, appears to be the heart of the issue. Getting things done efficiently with the minimum of fuss - and no dissent - is the ideal system. No wonder the Communist Party likes him.