Distinctive Advantages and Sound Practices of China’s New Type of Political Party System

As one of China’s basic political systems, the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation is a new type of political party system that has grown out of Chinese soil. Over our country’s glorious 75-year journey, it has played an irreplaceable role in the modernization of our system and capacity for governance. 

Now that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, how can we better uphold, develop, and improve the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation? How should non-CPC parties position and present themselves in the new era in order to make greater contributions and play a bigger role? This is the defining question to be answered regarding multiparty cooperation in the current era. 

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to multiparty cooperation. With a view to developing socialist democracy, modernizing China’s governance system and capacity, and advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, it has made a series of major decisions and plans on multiparty cooperation for the new era, thereby spurring fresh progress in the development of China’s new type of political party system. The CPC has strengthened overall leadership over multiparty cooperation, advancing the development of relevant institutions and holding central conferences on the work of the united front and the CPPCC. It has issued a series of important guidelines on enhancing socialist consultative democracy, consultative democracy in the CPPCC, consultation with non-CPC political parties, the development of political parties participating in national governance under socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the work of the CPPCC in the new era. These efforts have helped further institutionalize and standardize multiparty cooperation, creating a Constitution-based framework that takes relevant CPC regulations and documents as the mainstay and is supplemented by relevant policies. To propel the development of socialist consultative democracy, the CPC has placed inter-party consultation at the forefront of its seven consultation channels. This form of consultation is underpinned by clear content, standard procedures, sound institutions, and strong guarantees, all of which have helped establish it as a regular feature of national political life. 

The second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 4, 2024. The CPPCC is an important institution for CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, and an important political and organizational form for implementing China’s new type of political party system. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER XIE HUANCHI

Since 2012, President Xi Jinping has, in a series of statements, presented new ideas, new thinking, and new conclusions on how to uphold, develop, and improve China’s new type of political party system. For example, President Xi has made it clear that the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation is one of China’s basic political systems and is the result of integrating Marxist political party theory with China’s realities. He has declared that leadership by the CPC is the defining feature of China’s new type of political party system and has emphasized that upholding its leadership and working together with the CPC is the fundamental political basis for multiparty cooperation. He has pointed out that this political system reflects the essence of socialist democracy, which is to ensure that the people run the country. He has stressed the need to develop whole-process people’s democracy and forge great unity and solidarity in order to pool as much strength as possible for collective endeavors. He has stated that socialism with Chinese characteristics provides the common ideological and political foundation for this political system in the new era and has emphasized the importance of maintaining the correct political direction and strengthening the ideological and political foundation underpinning the leadership by the CPC. He has defined non-CPC political parties as participating parties and prominent figures without party affiliation as participating forces in national governance under Chinese socialism and has called on them to serve as effective advisers, helpers, and partners to the CPC. He has underscored that in this new era of Chinese socialism, multiparty cooperation should take on a new look, ideological consensus should reach new heights, fresh accomplishments should be realized in the performance of duties, and a new outlook should prevail among all participating parties. He has highlighted the CPPCC’s role as an important political and organizational platform for this political system and stressed the need to create conditions for non-CPC political parties and prominent figures without party affiliation to better play their role in the CPPCC. He has declared that the key to better demonstrating this political system’s effectiveness lies in leveraging the positive role of non-CPC political parties and prominent figures without party affiliation and has emphasized the importance of inter-party consultation as a form of democracy and institutional channel. He has pointed out that this political system serves as an important institutional guarantee for China’s political stability and has stressed the need to regard the efforts to understand, uphold, and improve the system in this overarching strategic light. Finally, he has stated that this political system stands as a major contribution to political advancement of humanity. On this basis, he has stressed the need to speed up the development of relevant theoretical and discourse systems, so as to contribute to the political advancement of humanity with Chinese insights. 

Most notably, President Xi provided an in-depth and systematic exposition of the distinctive features and advantages of China’s new type of political party system during a meeting with political advisors from the China Democratic League and the China Zhi Gong Party, prominent figures without party affiliation, and those from the sector of returned overseas Chinese at the first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC on March 4, 2018. He explained the three ways in which this system is new and the three things it effectively avoids. This system is new because it is the result of integrating Marxist political party theory with China’s realities, which enables it to truly and extensively represent and realize the fundamental interests of the greatest possible number of people and of all ethnic groups in the country on an ongoing basis. It thus effectively avoids the defects of old-fashioned political party systems, which represent only the select few or the vested interests. It is new because it unites all political parties and prominent figures without party affiliation to pursue common goals, thereby effectively avoiding the risks of inadequate oversight in one-party rule and the problems of power rotation and destructive competition in multiparty systems. It is new because it uses institutions, standards, and procedures to pool different opinions and suggestions as a basis for sound and democratic decision-making. It thus effectively avoids the defects of old-fashioned party systems where political parties make decisions and exercise governance in pursuit of their own interests or the interests of the classes, regions, and groups they represent, thus creating division in society. 

President Xi Jinping’s statements on upholding, developing, and improving China’s new type of political party system have provided sound answers to major theoretical and practical questions from the strategic perspective of maintaining and strengthening CPC’s overall leadership, developing whole-process people’s democracy, and leveraging the strengths of China’s political system. Such questions include why we should uphold and develop this system in the new era, what kind of form this system should take, and how we should go about upholding and developing it. President Xi has elaborated on the historical necessity and great advantages of this system and shed light on its theoretical foundations, cultural origins, distinctive strengths, and major significance. All this has helped open up new horizons for the theory of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, charting the way forward and providing fundamental guidance for multiparty cooperation in the new era. 

Since the new era began in 2012, the CPC has closely cooperated with other political parties based on a unity of purpose and action, thereby broadening the stage for multiparty cooperation. Non-CPC political parties have participated in national governance in important areas and deliberated on key issues with a focus on the central tasks of the CPC and the country. To advance Chinese modernization and coordinated implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, they have conducted in-depth research and offered suggestions on major issues such as supply-side structural reform, new urbanization, the Belt and Road Initiative, the rural revitalization strategy, the development of new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, and innovation-driven high-quality development. As a result, these parties are playing an increasingly important role in national political life. 

China’s new type of political party system is a remarkable political creation, jointly shaped by the Chinese people, the CPC, China’s other political parties, and prominent people without party affiliation. Having grown out of the soil of China, it boasts significant advantages and tremendous vitality. As a basic political system that supports China’s development, national rejuvenation, social progress, and people’s happiness, it can be considered a Chinese solution for the advancement of the global political party system. 

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 18, 2024)