Government of China

The Government of the People's Republic of China is a unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party authoritarian political system under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The People's Republic of China practices a unitary power principle and there is no separation of powers. The state has one branch of government, the legislature represented by the National People's Congress (NPC) which is constitutionally enshrined as "the highest state organ of power". All other state organs, from the Supreme People's Court to the President of the People's Republic of China, are elected by, answerable to and have no separate powers than those granted to them by the NPC. The head of the State Council, the NPC's executive organ, is the premier, while the de facto top leader of government is the CCP general secretary. The government in China is under the sole control of the CCP, with the CCP constitution outlining the party as the "highest force for political leadership". The CCP controls appointments in government bodies, with most senior government officials being CCP members. All government bodies, as well as state-owned enterprises, have CCP committees, which often supervise and lead the decision-making in such bodies. Though there have been proposals to increase the separation between party and state bodies, especially during the 1980s, the CCP remains in control of the government. The National People's Congress (NPC) is constitutionally the highest state organ, with control over the state constitution and basic laws, as well as over the election and supervision of officials of all other state organs. The congress meets annually for about two weeks in March to review and approve major new policy directions, laws, the budget, and major personnel changes. The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is the permanent legislative organ that adopts most national legislation, interprets the constitution and laws, and conducts constitutional reviews, and is headed by the chairman, one of China's top officials.