Backgrounder: Essential differences between Chinese, Western political systems

Source: Xinhua | 03-10-2009 08:15

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo elaborated on the essential differences between the system of China's people's congresses and Western capitalist countries' system of political power at the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Monday.

The essential differences are listed as following:

BETWEEN PEOPLE'S CONGRESSES AND WESTERN PARLIAMENTS:

-- China's system of political parties is a system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), not a Western-style multiparty system.

-- The CPC is at the core of the country's leadership and the ruling party, while the non-communist parties are participating parties.

-- Deputies to county- and township-level people's congresses are directly elected by voters, while deputies to people's congresses above the county-level are elected by deputies to people's congresses at the next lower level.

-- The people's congresses have no congressional party groups, and they do not carry out activities on the basis of sectors of society.

-- No seats are assigned on the basis of parties within the people's congresses.

-- All congress deputies and senior members serve the people under the leadership of the CPC in accordance with the law, sharing the same fundamental interests.