Party Leading Group Mechanism: An Advantageous Mechanism in China’s Political System
December 2022
Wang Lisheng, Party Secretary of Institute of Philosophy attached to CASS
As early as the early days of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the “leading group” appeared as an important system in the construction of the revolutionary base areas. In the 1950s, in order to strengthen the party’s overall leadership over state affairs and to deal with the problem of the inadequacy of conventional state institutions in handling complex state governance, the “leading group” as a “sub-formal system” was widely used in the construction of the regime and became an important part of the national political system. [1] 33
Its symbol was the “Notice on the Establishment of Financial and Economic, Political and Legal, Foreign Affairs, Science, Culture and Education Groups” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1958. This “Notice” pointed out that these central groups were led by the Central Committe Political Bureau and the Secretariat and reported to them. It was the first time that the establishment of a party working group was formally proposed to lead various tasks. Since the reform and opening up, in response to the objective requirements of the transformation of national governance, the central government has established a large number of “leading groups” with rich types and comprehensive functions.
After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017, the establishment of the “leading group” has been further strengthened, and its important role in political, economic and social life has been more fully demonstrated. In particular, from the central to the local, various “leading groups” within the party have increasingly become a leadership model for overall design, overall coordination, overall promotion and supervision of implementation. Looking at the development and changes of the “leading group” system in China’s political system, we can see that this mechanism has become a system and mechanism with Chinese characteristics established by the Communist Party of China in the process of leading the Chinese revolution, promoting reform and construction. The “leading group” has gradually transformed into a modern organization with special functions such as handling complex and major comprehensive issues, solving important strategic issues in the reform process, and responding to major emergencies. On the basis of studying the “leading group” mechanism, we have a deep understanding of it as a superior mechanism of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which is of great significance to improving the party’s governing ability, maintaining political stability, enhancing the state’s governance capabilities, and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.
1. The “Leading Group” is an important mechanism for achieving the Party’s overall leadership
The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. Adhering to the party’s leadership over all work is the first priority in the basic strategy of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The main functions of the “leading group” are to guide and regulate state affairs, organize and coordinate important work, and build major projects. It fully demonstrates the practical advantages of the party’s leadership in terms of decision-making process and decision-making effectiveness.
1. Realizing the Party’s “unified” leadership style
From the perspective of the establishment of the “leading group”, the “leading group” embodies the party’s “unified” leadership style. The unified management system is a unique political system in China. Combined with the “line-block relationship”, it constitutes a very distinctive institutional design of the Communist Party of China in leading and governing the country. [2] p. 28-34
In the 1950s, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China established a system of unified leadership of various departments and industries through a number of “leading groups”, and implemented it in conjunction with the cadre classification management system.
At the beginning of the founding of New China, there were many things to be done and many industries to be developed, and the state was still very short of management talents and management experience.
In this difficult situation of learning while doing, the “leading group” system effectively played an important role in investigation and research, organization and coordination, and scientific decision-making. By strengthening the party’s leadership, “leading group” system effectively overcame the problems of decentralization and factionalism in government work, ensuring the realization of socialist transformation and the rapid recovery and development of the national economy in a short period of time.
In this process, it also effectively trained cadres and explored effective ways for the party to lead the government work. This centralized management system is to guide and manage the relevant government departments by establishing a series of “leading groups” or committees, aiming to ensure that the government work is highly consistent with the party’s leadership in terms of policies, strategies and directions, strengthen the centralized leadership of national and social affairs, and coordinate with the national economy, culture, society and other aspects. In order to further strengthen the party’s leadership, after the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Party, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the “Notice on the Establishment of Finance and Economics, Politics and Law, Foreign Affairs, Science, Culture and Education Groups”.
These five groups led the corresponding functional departments of the government respectively. The local party committees at all levels also set up this system, with the secretary or standing committee member in charge of the business of each major department, and their role is similar to the relevant “leading groups” of the central government today. As the power and functions of the central party’s working departments continued to expand, local party committees also began to extend from personnel management to leadership and guidance of the work of various government departments, and even more detailed than the central government〔3〕. These “leading groups” in charge of various fields within the party reflect the party’s leadership over the work of the major “ports”. Local party committees also divided the party’s leadership over state affairs in the same way as the central government, thus forming a “line-to-line relationship” from the central government to the local governments. Similar to the “block-to-block relationship” management method of the government over social affairs, a set of management agencies with administrative management characteristics that completely correspond to the government has been formed in the Party Central Committee. The party’s leadership over government work is characterized by a centralized management system, forming a “line-to-block combination” relationship in which the “leading groups” and deliberative and coordinating agencies within the party and government manage state affairs. This is the product of the combination of the modern bureaucratic system and the centralized management system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. For example, the Central Political and Legal Group (1978), the Central Finance and Economics Leading Group (1980), the Central Propaganda and Ideological Work Leading Group (1988), the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security (1991), the Central Organization and Establishment Committee (1991), the Central National Security Leading Group (2000), etc. In addition to these permanent “leading groups” responsible for major tasks to undertake the corresponding “portal” work, temporary “leading groups” will also be established for some short-term tasks to carry out work. Generally, they will be led by leading cadres at relevant levels, and will be given corresponding authorizations according to the scope of the tasks involved. They have the corresponding power to coordinate, guide and make decisions for relevant departments and local governments. This mechanism is extremely flexible, mobile and efficient. It is a practical and creative working mechanism. For example, the Central Leading Group for Judicial System Reform (2003), the Central Leading Group for the Party’s Mass Line Education and Practice Activities (2013), the Central Leading Group for Cultural System Reform and Development (2014), etc., are such leading bodies that perform their functions within a certain time limit. Except for the major changes during the “Cultural Revolution” due to well-known reasons, this system has become a consistent system since the Communist Party of China came to power, and it has been improved day by day in practice.
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