China Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: People’s Republic of China

Type: Communist state; real authority lies with Communist Party’s Politburo; the National People’s Congress, in theory the highest organ of government, usually ratifies the party’s programs; the State Council actually directs the government

Capital· Beijing

Political subdivisions: 22 provinces, 3 centrally governed municipalities, 5 autonomous regions

Legal system a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal; little ostensible development of uniform code of administrative and civil law; highest judicial organ is Supreme People’s Court, which reviews lower court decisions; laws and legal procedure subordinate to priorities of party policy; regime has attempted to write civil and Communist codes; new legal codes in effect since I January 1980; party and state constitutions revised in September and November 1982, respectively; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil and commercial law

National holiday National Day, 1 October

Branches: control is exercised by Chinese Communist Party, through State Council, which supervises ministries, commissions, bureaus, etc., all technically under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress

Government leaders: ZHAO Ziyang, Premier of State Council (since September 1980); LI Xiannian, President (since June 1983); PENG Zhen, Chairman of NPC Standing Committee (since June 1983)

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: elections held for People’s Congress representatives at county level

Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party (CCIP), headed by Hu YaoLang as General Secretary of Central Committee

Communists: about 42 million party members in 1984

Other political or pressure groups: such opposition as exists consists of loose coalitions that vary by issue rather than organized groups

Member of: ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, 1LO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ITU, Multifiber Arrangement, UN, L NESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

NOTE: The information regarding China on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of China 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about China 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.