China's political party system provides an alternative for the development of global political party systems and the search for a better social system for humanity, Chinese officials said.
They made the remarks at a conference in Beijing on Tuesday on the progress and achievements in upholding and improving the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China in the past 10 years.
Under China's basic political system, there are eight other political parties besides the CPC that accept the leadership of the CPC and jointly participate in the administration of State affairs. Prominent individuals without political party affiliation also play roles in China's political system.
Chen Xu, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that this is a new political model that is neither the one-party system that lacks democracy, nor the multiparty system based on competition.
"It creates a brand-new relationship among political parties," Chen said. "The CPC and other political parties enjoy a cooperative and harmonious relationship."
As the ruling party, the CPC creates the conditions for other parties to participate in government affairs and as participating parties, non-CPC parties assist the ruling party, she said.
With institutional arrangements including consultation among parties, the participation of non-CPC parties in the deliberation and administration of State affairs broadens political channels to express the interests and the wisdom of the people to help the ruling party improve its work, Chen said.
"Through this system, cooperation and consultation have replaced confrontation and strife, which helps reduce internal friction and maintains political stability and social harmony," she said.
Sang Fuhua, head of the Bureau of Non-CPC Political Parties Work of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said an important feature of the multiparty cooperation system is mutual supervision between the CPC and the other parties.
Non-CPC parties and prominent unaffiliated individuals have numerous ways of supervising the work of the CPC, such as by voicing opinions, criticism and making suggestions, Sang said, adding that "their supervision is practical and effective".
Between 2016 and 2021, the eight political parties were entrusted by the CPC with the supervision of difficult poverty eradication work in eight provincial regions. The parties fulfilled their mission by going on field trips and supervising the way poverty alleviation policies were implemented.
Sang said that during the five-year period, the eight parties submitted more than 2,400 suggestions to CPC committees and governments in the eight provincial regions, and also some 80 supervisory reports to the CPC Central Committee and the State Council for decision-making.
When China achieved its goal of poverty alleviation in 2021, the eight political parties shifted their focus to five-year supervision over the ecological protection of the Yangtze River, including water restoration and port pollution prevention and control.
Last year, they overcame the COVID-19 epidemic and conducted 45 on-site investigations and offered 250 suggestions to local authorities, as well as six reports for the reference of the central leadership, Sang said, adding that non-CPC parties have worked with the CPC to tackle major challenges and difficulties, and have made important contributions.
In early 2020, faced with the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, some 60,000 medical workers affiliated with non-CPC parties and people without party affiliation worked at the forefront of epidemic prevention and control. They submitted 4,000 suggestions for the reference of authorities, donated money and materials worth more than 5.1 billion yuan ($603.9 million), and also contributed to poverty alleviation and rural vitalization efforts in remote areas, according to Sang.
