Political Analysis

The People's Republic of China is a country of many political parties. China has a recorded history of about 3,500 years and was once ruled by dozens of dynasties starting with Xia Dynasty. China is considered to be the oldest continuous major world civilization.

China is a communist country that has been governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1949. "Deng Xiaoping, who led the party from 1978 to 1997, began a policy of socialism with Chinese characteristics that encouraged more economic openness and foreign trade. But the CCP retains an iron grip on politics: other parties are outlawed and criticisms are quickly suppressed" (The World Fact Book, 14, June, 2005). Deng died in February 1997. After his death, Jiang Zemin became president and Zhu Rongji became prime minister. They oversaw China's reunification with Hong Kong in July 1997 and its joining of the World Trade Organization in 2001. The current president is Jiang Zemin and the vice-president is Hu Jintao. The prime minister is Wen Jiabao.

China has 23 provinces, five autonomous regions and four municipalities. A person must be 18 years of age in order to vote. The country's legislative branch is the National People's Congress which seats 2,989 members. The members are elected by the municipal, regional, and provincial congresses to serve five-year terms.

The judicial branch is divided into three courts. The Supreme People's Court is the highest court. The Local People's Courts and the Special People's Courts are the other courts. The judges are appointed by the National People's Congress.

Reference

The World Fact Book, 14, June, 2005. China. http://www.cia.gov.