Thread by @EarlOfThePseud

Chinese democracy explained

A thread:

China is often labeled a dictatorship by Westerners. This could not be further from the case and is an accusation often levied by those who could not name a single organ of the Chinese state. I hope to rectify this misconception here.

The main reason China is often considered undemocratic by those in the West is that it is a one-party state. This is a very reductive and narrow-minded view.

The CPC and the state are deeply intertwined and there is enough diversity of thought within the CPC that I find it more productive to see it as a no-party state. The goal of the Chinese system is to prevent the factionalism prominent in Western democracies and promote efficiency

The highest organ of the Chinese state is the National People's Congress or the NPC. [1] The NPC constitutes the legislative branch of China. Members are indirectly elected by 35 provinces. Candidates are nominated democratically by the CPC. [2]

The President and Vice President are elected by the NPC. These are actually largely ceremonial roles that hold less power than the American president for example. Listen to Rory Truex, a professor at Princeton explain this here: [3]

The State Council functions as the executive branch of the Chinese state. These people are appointed by the President. [1] The members are:
a premier,
vice premiers,
state councilors,
ministers of ministries,
ministers of commissions,
an auditor general,
and a secretary general

The Supreme People's Court is directly elected by the NPC. They do not serve for life and are much more directly controlled by the democratic process than the American Supreme Court.

However, one cannot understand the Chinese government without understanding the structure of the Communist Party of China. The Central Committee is the highest organ and is elected by the National Congress. [4]

Candidates for the National Congress are nominated by popular vote in each of the party branches. There are extensive examinations and background checks of candidates to ensure that potential representatives are politically educated; they need to understand basic civics after all

About 7% of the entire population is part of the CPC. [5] These are the most politically active members of society. They are entrusted to nominate candidates for various government positions, who then are subjected to a vote by the rest of the population.

You do not have to love the Chinese system of democracy, but it is important to remember that it is not a dictatorship. Xi Jinping does not personally decide exactly how the Chinese state should run.

A different form of democracy than that of the West is not necessarily better or worse. There are aspects Western nations can learn from China. 83% of Chinese see their country as democratic, compared to 49% of Americans. [6]

The Chinese government leads the largest country on Earth, and the Chinese people do not need Westerners to lecture them about how they should practice democracy. Perhaps it's time for the West to learn from them, considering our less-than-stellar results.

[1]
[2]https://t.co/3BnliHQZS8
[3]https://t.co/dDnfHBrRLq
[4] https://t.co/n9YbUonuKw
[5]https://t.co/1IOL6RDxQz
[6]https://t.co/UteAzjSbGXnpc.gov.cn/englishnpc/sta…
globaltimes.cn/content/765659…

news.cgtn.com/news/2021-06-3…
globaltimes.cn/page/202106/12…
newsweek.com/most-china-cal…