AP COGO Unit 4 - China Notes

Divisions in China:

Uyghurs - Largely Muslim ethnic minority group living in China, mostly in the Xinjiang region.

  • Interned in reeducation camps, subjected to torture, and subjected to efforts to remove to cultural identity

  • Bans placed on religious practices

  • Demonstrates China’s power in suppressing dissent/threats to state sovereignty

Despite China’s treatment of the Uyghurs, China does protect the use of minority languages by specified minority groups.

Resistance to Democratization:

While China has began to embrace more free-market reforms in the past 70 yrs, they have resisted efforts to become more democratic.

  • Continues to deny political freedoms and uses military force to maintain the regime (Ex. Tiananmen Square)

  • 2019 Protests in Hong Kong led to them retaining their own political/legal systems under the principal “one country, two systems”

  • Freedoms continue to be restricted

The Unitary State:

China is a unitary state that utilizes dual rule.

Dual Rule: A system in which two different groups w/ authority run a state (Ex. the gov. & CCP)

China is divided into sub-governments which includes autonomous regions.

  • People’s congresses within a subgroup are granted some authority over laws/policies affecting local communities

  • Direct & competitive elections held for townships and villages

    • Candidates can run on different platforms as long as they don’t challenge the CCP

Legitimacy & Challenges to the State:

Much of China’s legitimacy stems from the country’s economic growth.

  • Many gained wealth under free-market reforms

In 2016, the overall satisfaction w/ the central gov. was high and the gov. is wary of influences that could challenge the state’s legitimacy. Threats to China’s legitimacy include:

  • Constitutional democracy & universal human rights

  • Corruption

    • Damages economic performance

    • Local leaders will deliver on key terms of economic growth/stability while perusing their own interests

    • Xi Jinping has cracked down on corruption making him very popular

Organization of the CCP:

Much like the government, the CCP has their own decision-making bodies. The National Party Congress is the decision-making body of the party.

  • Acts as a legislature passing policies put forth by the party’s elite

  • Meets every 5 yrs

The major power in the CCP lies in the Politburo.

  • Politburo: Powerful body of elite policymakers in the CCP

    • Politburo Standing Committee: Subgroup of the politburo, most powerful people in the CCP. They set legislative agenda, supervise elections and interpret laws & the constitution

At the top of the party is the general secretary. This is the head of the CCP and the most powerful person in China

  • Currently Xi Jinping

  • Heads China’s central military commission

Although the constitution formally estab­lishes a chain of command through the National People's Congress, the Commu­nist Party has retained significant influence over the armed forces (People’s Liberation Army).

The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches:

The Executive:

The executive branch consists of the president the premier. Changes in the top leadership are accomplished behind closed doors with no transparency to the public. The president can be removed from power by the National People’s Congress but this is very unlikely to happen.

President (Xi Jinping):

  • Head of state

  • Serves in terms of 5 yrs, 2018 constitutional amendments abolished term limits

  • At least 45 yrs old

  • Senior party leaders

  • Commander in chief and chair of China’s military commission

Premier (Li Qiang):

  • Like a PM

  • Head of gov.

  • Formally appointed by the president but always from the standing committee

  • Directs state council (like cabinet), made up of ministers who direct bureaucracy

The Legislature:

The National People’s Congress is China’s unicameral legislature.

  • Members not directly elected, chosen from people’s congresses

  • Meets once a year for 2 weeks

  • Considered most powerful decision making body in China under the constitution

    • More like a rubber stamp body confirming office holders and approving legislation put forth by the CCP’s Politburo (actual power center of China)

  • Standing Committee of the NPC assumes legislative duties when the NPC is not in session

  • Legislative branch is weak compared to the executive branch

The Judiciary:

The judiciary in China does not protect basic human rights and rule of law is weak (more acknowledged today compared to under Mao). The Supreme Court in China has the right to interpret laws and the constitution but cannot overturn decisions made by the NPC. The CCP controls judicial appointments.

  • No due process

  • Harsh punishments (use of death penalty)

  • Limited reforms

    • Economic reform has led to judicial reform

Elections:

Elections for national leaders are indirect and the CCP is the only party allowed to control the government.

  • General secretary chosen by the NPC based on recommendation by the Standing Committee

  • Direct & competitive elections held for townships and villages

    • Candidates can run on different platforms as long as they don’t challenge the CCP

Civil Rights & Civil Liberties:

Civil liberties are restricted in China.

  • Large-scale protests eliminated

    • Most protests target corruption and local officials

  • Media repression

    • Some media criticism allowed ay a local level

    • Criticism of top leadership results in harsh punishments

    • Use censorship to block efforts to organize ordinary people against the regime

    • Great Firewall of China prevents users from accessing certain info

    • Online activity monitored

  • Surveillance of people

China also implemented a social credit system that rewards citizens for supporting the regime/positive behavior and demerits poor behavior.

Globalization & the Recent Chinese Economy (Inc. Social Policies):

Following the death of Mao Zedong, China was struggling economically and began to make. a switch towards market socialism. China began to undergo market reforms to attract foreign investment including setting up SZEs.

  • State still controls a significant amount of the economy including much of the banking system

China’s economic success since 1979 and the implementation of market reforms in terms of economic growth, per-capita income, and poverty reduction has been great.

  • Improved standards of living but widened income gap

    • Rural regions remain poorer compared to cities/coastal regions

  • Success supported by infrastructure investment

  • Growth began to slow and sanctions were implemented by the UN against Chinese businesses for their involvement in human rights violations against the Uyghurs

China’s social welfare program includes medical insurance and some worker’s protections

  • Harder to access for migrants

  • Protests among workers in China have increases and so have worker’s rights

    • Payments for unemployed

    • Pensions for retired workers

China also has an anti-poverty program called Dibao that provides a limited amount of assistance to those without other means of support.

China & the Future (Inc. the Impact of Industrialization):

Industrialization has left many impacts on China.

  • Environmental protections were relaxed causing pollution and environmental degradation

  • China’s economy has become intertwined with the global market

China faces many challenges in the future mainly as a result of rapid industrialization.

  • Environmental degradation - gov. has enacted policies to help address air/water pollution concerns and skyrocketing health problems

    • Funding increased of Ministry of Environmental Protection

    • Pollutant exposure in air dropped

    • Gov. offers incentives to reduce pollution

  • China has started to switch to renewable energy sources and has become a world leader in renewable energy