Strengthening CPPCC Work and Developing Consultative Democracy

XI JINPING

I

If we are to achieve our goals, the whole country will have to work hard together, and the CPC must strengthen unity and cooperation with other political parties and public figures without party affiliation. All other political parties are participating parties under socialism with Chinese characteristics in cooperation with the CPC, and public figures without party affiliation are a formidable force in China’s political life. All other political parties and public figures without party affiliation should adhere to the socialist path of political advancement with Chinese characteristics, participate more effectively in the deliberation and administration of state affairs and in democratic oversight, and enhance their capacity to understand the political landscape, organize and lead, and corporate with others. As for the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, it must improve its theoretical and political development and its ability to perform its duties, and strive to be a people’s organization and federation of commerce with firm political conviction, distinctive features, and fine conduct.

—Excerpt from a speech at a gathering with non-CPC figures to celebrate the Spring Festival (February 6, 2013)

II

Consultative democracy is a unique form and distinctive advantage of China’s socialist democracy. It is an important embodiment of the CPC’s mass line in the political domain. Advancing consultative democracy is conducive to improving the people’s orderly political participation, strengthening the ties between the CPC and the people, and promoting more methodical and democratic decision-making.

—Excerpt from the explanation of the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform (November 9, 2013)

President Xi Jinping speaks at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC. The event was held at the auditorium of the CPPCC National Committee, Beijing, September 20, 2019. Photo by Xinhua reporter Ju Peng

III

Looking back at the 65-year development of the CPPCC, we come to the profound realization that the CPPCC has its roots in China’s history and culture, emerged from the great struggle of the Chinese people’s revolution in modern times, and has developed through the successful practice of Chinese socialism. The CPPCC has distinctive Chinese characteristics and is an important force for making China prosperous and strong, revitalizing the Chinese nation, and ensuring the happiness of the people. We have every reason to believe that the CPPCC, with its glorious history, will definitely create a brighter future!

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

IV

The CPPCC is the broadest possible patriotic united front organization. The united front is an important means for the CPC to secure victories in revolution, development, and reform, and it is also an important means for realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

V

Democracy takes many different forms. We should neither stick to rigid models nor claim that there is only one universal standard that fits all. To determine whether people enjoy democratic rights, we need to see not only whether they have the right to vote in elections, but also whether they have the right to participate in everyday political life on an ongoing basis. We also need to see not only whether they have the right to take part in elections, but also whether they have the right to democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic oversight. Socialist democracy requires not only a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also full participation in the process. The principle of ensuring that it is the people who run the country must be embodied explicitly and practically in CPC and state governance, in all aspects and levels of the work of the CPC and state institutions, and in the way the people realize and develop their interests.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

VI

Under China’s socialist system, the essence of people’s democracy is that we solve problems through consultation and address the concerns of the people through consultation with the people, so as to find the largest common ground that reflects the wishes and demands of the whole society. Matters that concern the people’s interests should be discussed among the people. If these discussions don’t take place, or if they are not thorough, we will find it almost impossible to do things, or to do them well. Thus, we should always conduct consultations whenever we encounter, identify, and address issues; the greater the number and depth of these consultations, the better. The issues that affect the interests of all Chinese people should be widely discussed by all Chinese people throughout the country; the issues that concern the interests of the residents of a particular locality should be discussed by those residents; the issues that concern a particular section of the public or a particular group should be discussed by that section or group; and the issues that concern the interests of people at the community level should be discussed by the people of each community. The process of extensive deliberations among the people is a process of promoting democracy and pooling wisdom, a process of unifying thinking and building consensus, a process of making decisions in a methodical and democratic manner, and a process of ensuring that the people run the country. It is only in this way that our national and social governance can have solid foundations and that we will be able to draw powerful strength for our endeavors.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

VII

Based on a review of the practice of people's democracy in the People's Republic of China, we have concluded that in our vast and populous socialist country, extensive consultation on major issues that concern the national economy and people's wellbeing under the leadership of the CPC reflects the unity between democracy and centralism; and that China's socialist democracy takes two important forms: on the one hand, the people exercise their rights by participating in elections and casting their votes; on the other hand, people from all sectors of society engage in exhaustive consultations before major decisions are made, in order to reach consensus on general issues. In China, rather than replacing or cancelling each other, these two democratic forms are complementary. They constitute the institutional features and strengths of China's socialist democracy.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

President Xi Jinping visits national political advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, who are attending the First Session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, Beijing, March 6, 2023. Xi participated in their joint panel discussion and heard their comments and suggestions. Those who joined Xi in the visit and the discussion included Wang Huning, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and presides over the meetings of the presidium of the First Session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, and Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, also members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Photo by Xinhua reporter Xie Huanchi

VIII

Consultative democracy is a unique form of Chinese socialist democracy. It has its origins in our nation’s longstanding fine political culture, including such concepts as pursuing the common good for all, upholding inclusiveness, and seeking common ground while putting aside differences. It has its origins in China’s political evolution in modern times; in the long-term practical experience of revolution, development, and reform under the CPC’s leadership; in the great invention in our political systems after the founding of the PRC made by all political parties, people’s organizations, ethnic groups, and people from all sectors of society; and in the continuous innovations in China’s political systems since the launch of reform and opening up. It has solid cultural, theoretical, practical, and institutional foundations.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

IX

Serving the people wholeheartedly and ensuring that the fundamental interests of the broadest possible majority of the people are represented constitute an important premise and foundation for the practice and development of consultative democracy in China. As the Constitution of the CPC stipulates, besides the interests of the working class and the broadest possible majority of the people, the Party has no special interests of its own. The CPC and the state it leads represent the fundamental interests of the broadest possible majority of the people. All its theories, guidelines, principles, policies, and work plans should come from the people and should be formulated and implemented for the people's benefit. With this as our basic political principles, we can and should listen extensively to the people from all sectors of society. Through the various forms of consultation under the CPC’s unified leadership, we can hear a wide range of opinions and suggestions and receive criticism and oversight. In this way, we can reach the broadest possible consensus on our decisions and work and thus avoid competition for own interests and factional strife between parties and between interest groups; we can channel the appeals of various parties into the decision-making process and thus prevent disputes and mutual exclusion between different political forces seeking to maximize their own interests; we can put in place extensive mechanisms for identifying and rectifying errors and thus prevent blind and arbitrary decision-making; we can build mechanisms for public participation in administration and governance at all levels and thus guarantee that the people can voice their opinions and take an active part in the country’s political activities and social governance; we can pool the wisdom and strength of society behind reform and development and thus effectively build consensus on our policies and tasks and put them into practice. All this reflects the unique advantages of China’s socialist consultative democracy.

—Excerpt from a speech at the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the CPPCC (September 21, 2014)

X

Socialist consultative democracy has its roots and origins in our country, and it is full of vitality. It is a great invention of the CPC and the Chinese people, a unique form and advantage of China's socialist democracy, and an important embodiment of the CPC’s mass line in the political domain. We must thoroughly understand this basic nature and further build consensus, so as to better develop this institution. We should always conduct consultations whenever we encounter, identify, and address issues; the greater the number and depth of these consultations, the better. This will allow us to genuinely draw on political party consultation as a means of finding solutions, building consensus, strengthening common ties, and enhancing solidarity.

—Excerpt from a speech at the 6th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform (October 27, 2014)

XI

We have a set of theories and systems that are in line with China’s realities, and at the same time, we will keep an open mind and work to improve them by drawing on the finest elements of both traditional and foreign theories and systems, while discarding what is useless. However, the fundamental elements must be our own; and we must stick to our own path. In China, the CPC governs the country and other parties participate in governance. We do not have opposition parties, and our system does not have the separation of powers and alternation of power between political parties. The rule of law system we build must be congruent with this political system.

—Excerpt from a speech at a seminar for principal officials at the provincial and ministerial level on the guiding principles from the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and on comprehensively advancing the law-based governance of China (February 2, 2015)

XII

We will give play to the important role of socialist consultative democracy. The essence of the people’s democracy is that the people get to discuss their own affairs. Consultative democracy is an important way of effecting CPC leadership and a model and strength unique to China’s socialist democracy. We will advance extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized consultative democracy, and adopt a coordinated approach to promoting consultations carried out by political parties, people’s congresses, government departments, CPPCC committees, people’s organizations, communities, and social organizations. We will strengthen the institutions of consultative democracy and develop complete procedures and practices to enable the people's broad, continuous, and intensive participation in day-to-day political activities.

—Excerpt from the Report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (October 18, 2017)

XIII

The system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, as one of China's basic political systems, is a great political innovation made by the CPC, the Chinese people, other political parties in China, and public figures without party affiliation. It is a new type of political party system that has grown out of Chinese soil. It is new because it is the result of adapting Marxist theories of political parties to China's realities. It can truly, extensively, and consistently represent and realize the fundamental interests of the broadest possible majority of the people and the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups and sectors of society, and it effectively avoids the disadvantages of the old political party system, which represents only a small number of people and a small minority of interest groups. It is new because it closely rallies all political parties and public figures without party affiliation to work for common goals, and thus effectively avoids the lack of oversight under a one-party system or the vicious competition resulting from alternation of power between political parties. It is new because it gathers comments and proposals from all sides through institutional arrangements with standardized procedures to promote more methodical and democratic decision-making and thus effectively avoids social division caused by decision-making and government administration in the old political party system, which is stuck in the interests between political parties, classes, regions, and groups. This system is in line with China’s realities and conforms to such notions in the best of China's traditional culture as pursuing common good for all, upholding inclusiveness, and seeking common ground while putting aside differences. It is a great contribution to the political civilization of humankind.    

—Excerpt from a speech to the members of China Democratic League, China Zhi Gong Party, and All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and public figures without party affiliation participating in the First Session of the Thirteenth CPPCC National Committee (March 4, 2018)

XIV

The CPPCC represents a great achievement of the CPC in integrating Marxist-Leninist theories on the united front, political parties, and democracy with China's realities, and a great invention in the political systems made by all political parties, public figures without party affiliation, people's organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and sectors of society under the leadership of the CPC. Over the past seven decades, the CPPCC, under the leadership of the CPC, has been dedicated to the two major tasks of unity and democracy. It has served the central tasks of the Party and the state, playing a significant role in the founding of the People's Republic of China and in every period of socialist revolution, development, and reform in the history.    

—Excerpt from a speech at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC (September 20, 2019)

CPC and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Han Zheng watch a performance at the New Year gathering held by the CPPCC National Committee, Beijing, December 29, 2023. Photo by Xinhua reporter Ju Peng

XV

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, based on our experience, we have put forward a series of new requirements for the CPPCC, mainly in the following aspects.

First, the Party's leadership over the CPPCC should be strengthened. The Party's leadership is the common choice of the Chinese people from all political parties, people's organizations, ethnic groups, social strata, and walks of life. It is the founding principle of the CPPCC and the fundamental guarantee for its development and progress. The CPPCC should uphold the CPC's leadership in every aspect of its work and earnestly implement the requirements of the CPC Central Committee on CPPCC work.

Second, the nature and role of the CPPCC should be clearly understood. As an organization of the united front, a body for multiparty cooperation and political consultation, and an important form through which people's democracy is practiced, the CPPCC is a major channel and specialized body for socialist consultative democracy, a key component of China's governance system, and an institutional arrangement with Chinese characteristics. The CPPCC should remain true to its nature and role, and firmly follow the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics.

Third, the CPPCC should fully play its role as a specialized consultative body. Consultative democracy is an important way of realizing the CPC’s leadership and a model and strength that is unique to China's socialist democracy. To properly harness its role as a specialized consultative body, the CPPCC should see that consultative democracy runs through the entire process of its performance of duties. It should develop democracy and strengthen unity, work to offer suggestions on state affairs and build consensus, and actively carry out democratic oversight with a focus on the implementation of important CPC and state decisions and plans.  

Fourth, the CPPCC should uphold and work to improve China's new type of political party system. The system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation is one of China's basic political systems and a new type of political party system that has grown out of Chinese soil. The CPPCC should create conditions for other political parties and public figures without party affiliation to play a greater role in the CPPCC.

Fifth, the CPPCC should rally the people's support and pool their strength. It should perform its role as an organization of the united front, ensuring great unity and solidarity and the balance between commonality and diversity. It should continue to consolidate the common theoretical and political foundation, strengthen theoretical and political guidance, and build broad consensus. It should strive to expand common ground and the convergence of interests, so as to create a mighty force for national rejuvenation. 

Sixth, the CPPCC should focus on the central tasks of the CPC and the state while performing its duties. It should direct its efforts toward achieving the first of the Two Centenary Goals and then moving on toward the second, and give priority to addressing imbalances and inadequacies in development. Keeping in mind the overall interests, the CPPCC should conduct in-depth consultations and intensive deliberation on state affairs and strengthen oversight over implementations aiming at strengthening key areas, addressing inadequacies, and reinforcing weak points.      

Seventh, the CPPCC should uphold the principle that it works for the people. With the key focus on meeting the people's aspirations for a better life and improving their living standards, it should listen to public appeals, reflect public aspirations, and tackle practical problems concerning people's daily lives, so as to help the CPC and the government improve the people's wellbeing.

Eighth, the CPPCC should improve its ability to perform duties in the spirit of reform and innovation. With the commitment to reform and innovation, it should strengthen its capability for developing its political acumen, conducting research, connecting with the people, and working collaboratively. The CPPCC should strengthen the competence of its members, improving their understanding of the CPPCC work and their abilities to participate in political consultation and deliberation of state affairs, and ensuring that its members abide by discipline and rules and act with moral integrity.  

—Excerpts from a speech at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC (September 20, 2019)

XVI

Seventy years of experience has proven that the CPPCC system possesses unique advantages in many respects. Marx and Engels once asked, "What is democracy? It must have a meaning, or it would not exist." They went on to say, "It is all a matter, then, of finding the true meaning of democracy." Democracy takes many different forms and cannot be confined to rigid models. Experience has proven that, for China, Chinese-style democracy is workable and effective. In this new era, we must adhere to the CPPCC system, champion the cause of the CPPCC, carry out the work of the united front with a stronger sense of responsibility, and rally more people around the CPC.

—Excerpt from a speech at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC (September 20, 2019)

Xi Jinping, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and other CPC and state leaders take part in an annual gathering with non-CPC members ahead of the Spring Festival and pose for a group photo with the attendees at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, February 7, 2024. Photo by Xinhua reporter Xie Huanchi

XVII

In the new era, the general guidelines for improving CPPCC work are: follow the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; uphold Xi Jinping’s core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership; take upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics the goal of consolidating the common theoretical and political foundation, make serving the Two Centenary Goals its main focus, and take strengthening theoretical and political guidance and building broad consensus as the central task; champion the two major themes of unity and democracy and forge effective consensus by enhancing the capacity for political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs; shoulder the political responsibility of implementing the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans as well as its requirements for the CPPCC, and bringing together the wisdom and strength of the Chinese people at home and abroad; and contribute to securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and making all-round efforts to build a great modern socialist country.

—Excerpt from a speech at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC (September 20, 2019)

XVIII

I have said that under China's socialist system, the essence of people's democracy is that we solve problems through consultation and address the concerns of the people through consultation with the people. This allows us to find the largest common ground that reflects the wishes and demands of the whole society. Consultative democracy is an important institutional design through which the CPC can lead the people in effectively governing the country and ensure that the people run the country. It complements electoral democracy. The CPPCC promotes extensive unity, advances multiparty cooperation, and practices people's democracy through consultations, which is in line with our historical traditions and reflects the features of our times. This fully embodies the features and advantages of our socialist democracy—conduct consultations whenever we encounter, identify, and address issues.

—Excerpt from a speech at the Central Conference on CPPCC Work and the Ceremony Marking the 70th Anniversary of the CPPCC (September 20, 2019)

XIX

Since its 18th CPC National Congress, our Party has advanced whole-process people's democracy as a key concept on the basis of a deeper understanding of the rules governing the development of democracy. Whole-process people’s democracy in China not only has a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also has full-fledged civil participation. China's state system is a people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class based on the alliance of workers and farmers; its system of state power is the system of people's congresses; and its basic political systems are the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the system of primary-level self-governance. Through these, China has consolidated and developed the broadest possible patriotic united front, it has formed a comprehensive, extensive, and well-coordinated system of institutions that guarantee the people run the country, and it has put into place diverse, open, and orderly channels for democracy. This allows the entire people to engage in law-based democratic elections, consultations, decision making, management, and oversight and to participate in various ways in the management of state, economic, cultural, and social affairs in accordance with the law. Whole-process people's democracy in China integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people's democracy with the will of the state. It is a democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a socialist democracy in its broadest, most genuine, and most effective form. We should continue to advance whole-process people's democracy to see that, in concrete and tangible ways, the idea of the people running the country is reflected in our Party's governance policies and measures, in all aspects and levels of the work of the CPC and state institutions, and in our efforts to realize the people’s aspirations for a better life.

—Excerpt from a speech at the Central People’s Congress Work Conference (October 13, 2021)

XX

We will fully develop consultative democracy. Consultative democracy is an important way by which whole-process people's democracy is practiced. We will improve the system of consultative democracy, make coordinated efforts to promote consultations carried out by political parties, people's congresses, government departments, committees of the CPPCC, people's organizations, communities, and social organizations, and improve various institutional consultative platforms, so as to promote extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy. We will uphold and improve the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation and ensure the integration of CPC leadership, the united front, and consultative democracy. We will give play to the CPPCC's role as a specialized consultative body and see that it coordinates efforts to promote democracy and unity while making proposals on state affairs and building consensus. Improvements will be made to institutions, standards, and procedures to help the CPPCC ensure that in-depth consultations and interactions are conducted, opinions are fully expressed, and broad consensus is built. Efforts will be also made to improve the systems and mechanisms through which CPPCC committees conduct democratic oversight and their members stay engaged with people from various sectors.

—Excerpt from the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (October 16, 2022)

XXI

The integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the best of China's traditional culture has enabled us to retain both the theoretical and cultural initiative, and exerted a strong influence on the path, theory, and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. From this perspective, we can observe that the systems of people’s congresses and political consultation established by our Party reflect the Chinese concept of the people being the foundation of the state, the idea of universal participation in governance, the tradition of collaborative and consultative governance, and the political wisdom of being all-inclusive and seeking common ground while setting differences aside. China's implementation of the system of regional ethnic autonomy within a unitary state, rather than a federal system, adapts itself to the underlying development trend of the Chinese nation toward internal cohesion and unity amid diversity. It also carries on the Chinese tradition of striving for great unity in the country to see all regions sharing common customs and practices amid rich diversity and all people coming together as one family. The integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with the best of China's traditional culture is yet another manifestation of our commitment to freeing the mind. It allows us to fully harness the precious resources of China's traditional culture to explore future-oriented theoretical and institutional innovations within a broader cultural framework.

—Excerpt from a speech at the meeting on cultural inheritance and development (June 2, 2023)

These are excerpts from General Secretary Xi Jinping's statements on improving CPPCC work and fully developing consultative democracy between February 2013 and June 2023.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 5, 2024)