Government Structure
China is governed by an authoritarian single party system under the Communist Party of China. The two top positions in China’s government are those of the President of China, the head of state, and the Premier of China, the head of government. Since ultimate power lies with the Communist Party, the General Secretary of the party holds ultimate power over the government. At present, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping also serves as the country’s president. There is also a National People’s Congress, elected by Provincial People’s Congresses, that meets annually in March. Since no democracy is involved in China’s government, the National People’s Congress serves mainly to rubber stamp existing party policy, and create a facade of democratic legitimacy.
International Relations
China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the G20 among other international bodies.
Political Environment
The government of China is harshly repressive and censors the media and internet, though many circumvent such censorship with VPNs. The Party is especially Draconian in its handling of ethnic minorities in remote provinces that are perceived in Beijing as unloyal. Notably the Uighur Muslims of the Xinjiang Province have been subjected to detention in re-education camps. The existence of the camps was initially denied by the government which later admitted to the construction of “vocational schools” for the religious minorities. In 2018, President Xi pushed through constitutional changes which consolidated his power and made him, in effect, president for life.
Global Politics in Under 400 Words 