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5. The Rise of Civil Society in China
- Brookings Institution Press
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4 136 Political Consultation and Consultative Politics in China linshangli Modern politics is structured around two spheres: the individuals and the state. On one hand, it stresses the rights and free development of individuals, and on the other, it emphasizes the holistic integration of the state, which provides the space for the development of individuals and ensures their safety. There is an inherent tension between the two spheres: the free development of individuals requires the protection of the state but also attempts to break through the constraints imposed by the state; the holistic integration of the state recognizes the diverse development of individuals but also requires individuals to have a common identification with the political system. The basic way to balance this tension is to develop a democratic system. Every country has its own history and culture and thus its own development plan as formed in light of its own national conditions. Countries have different starting points in balancing this tension. Some may start out from the rights of the individual, and others may begin with state construction, thus resulting in different democratic development strategies and democratic systems. China’s political consultative system, a system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is a party system with Chinese characteristics. It is an important institutional establishment that was formed as the CCP was leading its revolution and founding the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Although of indigenous origin, the system is highly modern and democratic in both value orientation and function. It balances the relationship among political parties, the state, and society and provides 04-2535-0 chap4.indd 136 3/28/14 10:16 AM Political Consultation and Consultative Politics 137 an important institutional infrastructure for ensuring solidarity and stability in the process of China’s modernization and development. People’s Republic: Political Foundation of China’s Political Consultation System China’s political consultation system is the name given to the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CCP; political consultation is both the foundation and the core purpose of the system. It was on this basis that the CCP achieved multiparty cooperation, established the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and, ultimately, founded the PRC. The political consultation system performs the function of cementing social solidarity and national integration. Our understanding of China’s political consultation system must be based on the historical context and inherent political logic of that system; that is, it should start with the creation and development of China’s party system. The revolution of 1911 put an end to the imperial rule that had existed in China for several thousand years and led to the establishment of the republican era in China. It marked the beginning of China’s modern party system development , which, however, was interrupted by failed attempts to create both a multiparty system and the Kuomintang’s one-party autocracy. China now has a system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation, which is led by the CCP and was created by the CCP during the creation of the People’s Republic and which coexists with the People’s Republic. “The party building the state” (党建国家, dang jian guojia) was the slogan and political logic of China’s modernization. It was first practiced by the Kuomintang and then by the CCP. This political logic was the inevitable choice for China’s modernization. It emphasized that to achieve democratic republicanism in China, a modern state must be established on the ruins of the Chinese empire, which had existed for several thousand years, and that the task of building the modern state rested on the shoulders of the ruling party. Both the Kuomintang and the CCP were founded to fulfill this historical mission. Eventually the CCP was chosen via revolution and by the Chinese people to lead China’s modernization. Soon after it came to power, the CCP set about building the new state apparatus and became the ruling party in 1949. In line with the guideline of establishing an all-around and deep-rooted connection with the Communist Party of Russia in ideology, theory, and organization, the CCP established the Chinese Soviet Republic in 1931 in Jiangxi; this association ended, however, soon after 04-2535-0 chap4.indd 137 3/28/14 10:16 AM [34.204.3.195] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:33 GMT) 138 Lin Shangli the CCP left Jiangxi and started the legendary 25,000-kilometer Long...