Communist Party, State Council Order Stronger Controls Over Society

October 4, 2006

The general offices of the Communist Party Central Committee (CPCC) and the State Council jointly issued an opinion that calls on Chinese authorities to strengthen controls over society and address a range of social problems as a means to "establish a harmonious society," "improve the Party's ruling capacity," and "solidify the Party's position in power," according to a December 4 Xinhua article appearing in Chinese (on the central government's Web site) and English. Two committees directly subordinate to the CPCC, the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, prepared the "Opinion Regarding Carrying Out Stable and Secure Development." A spokesman from the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security commented in a press statement appearing on the National People's Congress Web site that the goal of the opinion is to curb a rise in the number of protests and demonstrations, and to combat crime.

The general offices of the Communist Party Central Committee (CPCC) and the State Council jointly issued an opinion that calls on Chinese authorities to strengthen controls over society and address a range of social problems as a means to "establish a harmonious society," "improve the Party's ruling capacity," and "solidify the Party's position in power," according to a December 4 Xinhua article appearing in Chinese (on the central government's Web site) and English. Two committees directly subordinate to the CPCC, the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, prepared the "Opinion Regarding Carrying Out Stable and Secure Development." A spokesman from the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security commented in a press statement appearing on the National People's Congress Web site that the goal of the opinion is to curb a rise in the number of protests and demonstrations, and to combat crime.

The opinion calls for:

Focusing on Social Stability

he opinion identifies social order as necessary for Party control. The press statement says that Party and government officials must recognize that "development can only take place if [China] first has social stability." The press statement also sets a goal of 2006 to decrease the number of civil disputes that result in criminal activity, and reduce the number of "mass incidents" such as strikes, marches, demonstrations, and collective petitions directed at Chinese government authorities.

Chen Jiping, head of the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, called for the implementation of similar social order measures in a December 27, 2004 interview appearing on the Web site of the Ministry of Justice. He noted that China did "not have completely firm social order, and this has affected social stability." Chinese scholars have noted a rise in mass incidents, such as those involving worker rights, since 1994. During the summer of 2005, senior Chinese officials acknowledged that China faces increasing social unrest, but ruled out any political liberalization in response.

Strengthening Party Control

The opinion specifies that officials should construct a system where "the Party leads, the government bears responsibility, society assists, and the people participate." The opinion also emphasizes that Chinese authorities should strengthen social order at the grassroots level, "with grassroots Party organizations as the core, and autonomous grassroots institutions as the base," to serve a "front-line defense role" in maintaining social stability. "Autonomous grassroots institutions" commonly refer to residents and villagers committees. Although directly elected in theory, the Party subjects them in practice to a range of influences, as noted in Section V(d), Democratic Governance and Legislative Reform, of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.

The above language indicates Chinese authorities intend to preserve Party dominance over all government and social institutions. The State Council's October White Paper entitled Building of Political Democracy in China also emphasized the need for continued Party control. The language of the opinion also suggests that Chinese leaders may be attempting to expand control over grassroots political institutions. Government officials in Anhui province have recently expanded their merger of township Party and government posts in what appears to be an experimental model under consideration for nationwide implementation.

Striking Out at Crime

The opinion calls for a system to both prevent and promptly "strike" against criminal activity, justifying this step as necessary to maintain social order. In December 2004, Supreme People's Court President Xiao Yang reportedly instructed courts to strengthen rights protection and ensure that innocent people are not prosecuted in the effort to fight crime and maintain stability. Politburo member Luo Gan, however, spoke at a national conference on December 5 and 6 and called for a "harsh crackdown" on criminal activities, to create a sound social environment for implementing the 11th Five-Year Program and building a "harmonious society," according to a December 7 Xinhua report on the People’s Daily Web site.

Consistent with Luo Gan's remarks, the press statement calls for the establishment of a "regularized system to carry out 'Strike Hard' campaigns." In the past, "Strike Hard" campaigns have involved intense national crackdowns of fixed duration. These crackdowns resulted in unusually harsh law enforcement tactics, quick trials, and violations of criminal procedure. Since 2004, key Chinese law enforcement officials have emphasized that "Strike Hard" must become a regularized and long-term policy, according to a March 7, 2005 People's Daily article and a December 16, 2004 Xinhua article. Additional information on "Strike Hard" is available in Section III(b), Rights of Criminal Suspects and Defendants, of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.

Increased Attention to Social Security and Back Wage Issues

The opinion calls for the establishment of a permanent mechanism to address workers’ claims for unpaid back wages. China has experienced significant worker unrest as a result of unpaid wages in recent years. In October, police in Chongqing quashed the largest workers' protest since 1989, after a steel plant declared bankruptcy and officials could not agree with workers on the terms of payment of wage arrears. National and provincial authorities have taken various steps in recent years to attempt to address the problem of unpaid back wages.

The opinion also calls for increased attention to violations of citizen rights, improvements to the social security system, and creation of mechanisms to resolve citizen complaints at the lowest level of government possible. The press statement notes that these issues must be addressed to maintain social stability.

New Techniques For Managing Migrants

The opinion calls for new techniques to manage China's migrant population, including greater protection of their rights. In October, Chinese officials said that they were considering national reforms to the household registration (hukou) system.

While the language in the opinion indicates the central government's willingness to experiment with reforms aimed at benefiting migrants, other statements suggest that Chinese authorities are primarily interested in strengthening their control over the migrant population. For example, Chen Jiping said that authorities need to strengthen the systems to monitor housing rentals for migrants, and improve systems used to keep track of temporary residents, according to a December 6 article carried on the Ministry of Justice Web site.

Strengthening the Handling of Citizen Petitions

The opinion calls for firm implementation of the 2005 Regulations on Letters and Visits, the protection of petitioners' rights, and the strengthening of the xinfang (letters and visits) system that Chinese citizens often use to redress their grievances. It also calls for better evaluation, monitoring, and response systems for mass incidents, such as collective citizen petitions to government authorities. For more information on the xinfang system and citizen petitioning, see Section V(e), Access to Justice, of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.

Strengthening Cadre Responsibility Systems

The press statement indicates that the "core leader" (yibashou) at each level of the official Chinese party and government hierarchy should personally bear responsibility for maintaining social order, and that Chinese officials should develop a "correct view of their official achievements." The language resembles Chen Jiping's December 27, 2004 statement, which asserted that all levels of the Chinese bureaucracy need to construct cadre responsibility systems that make the maintenance of public order a key component of their official performance evaluations.

Cadre responsibility systems make the career advancement and official sanctions of officials dependent on meeting designated targets, particularly with respect to social order. Officials can lose their government posts or suffer other career sanctions if a large number of protests or petitions occur in their jurisdictions. Chinese authorities have expanded the use of responsibility systems in recent judicial reforms and under the 2005 Regulations on Letters and Visits.

The strengthening of the social order component of cadre responsibility systems may generate more social instability. Because these systems apply harsher disciplinary sanctions to officials who experience larger and more frequent protests, petitioners have an incentive to take their grievances to the streets to force officials to act. At the same time, they encourage local officials to suppress public expressions of discontent. This incentive structure appears to be fueling both a rise in organized mass petitions and local government efforts to suppress them. For more information on cadre responsibility systems, see Section V(e), Access to Justice, of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report.