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1 [1] (March 23, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govzgw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legislative debate since 1914 March 23, 2018 China's Communist Party Absorbs More of the State In March 2018, China's national legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), approved amendments to China's state constitution, including the elimination of term limits for the positions of President and Vice President. The NPC also supported the creation of a new anti-graft agency, approved a reorganization of government agencies, installed a new lineup of state and NPC leaders, and endorsed economic and other targets. On March 21, 2018, immediately after the NPC session closed, the Communist Party released a document outlining a broad re-organization of large parts of China's political system, including the Party. The events served to strengthen the position of Communist Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping, to expand the Communist Party of China's already dominant role in China's political life, and to give the Party more tools to pursue its nationalist agenda. This In Focus report summarizes some of these developments. Constitutional Amendments The People's Republic of China (PRC) Constitution, adopted in 1982, co-exists with the Communist Party's Charter, also known as the Party Constitution. The March 2018 amendments to the PRC Constitution-which passed the NPC by a vote 2,958 to 2, with 3 abstentions-mark the fifth time China's parliament has amended the constitution. Key March 2018 amendments are discussed below. Eliminating Term-Limits for President Article 79 of the constitution had previously stated that the PRC President and Vice President shall serve no more than two consecutive terms. A 2018 amendment removed those words. An NPC spokesperson said the change benefits the strengthening and perfecting of the national leadership system. Under the current leadership system, China's leader simultaneously holds all three of the country's top positions: Communist Party General Secretary, Party Central Military Commission Chairman, and State President. The Party charter does not set term limits for the first two positions, so defenders of the amendment argue that the state constitution should not set term limits for the third, the position of state president. Even without term limits for the top Party positions, however, the norm since 2002 has been for the Party General Secretary to retire after two full five-year terms in office. Then-General Secretary Jiang Zemin established the norm by stepping down in 2002 (although he retained chairmanship of the Party Central Military Commission for an additional two years). Then-General Secretary Hu Jintao reinforced the norm when he handed off both of his Party posts to Xi in 2012. By pushing for the elimination of term limits for the presidency, President Xi, 64, may be signaling his intention to stay in all three of his powerful positions beyond the usual two terms. Xi's second term in his Party posts is scheduled to end in 2022, and his second term as president is scheduled to end in March 2023. Many analysts warn that by undermining China's efforts to create norms around the orderly transfer of power, the removal of term limits could increase the risk of a future destabilizing succession crisis in the world's second-largest economy. Some U.S. observers have expressed cautious hope that with the prospect of staying in power indefinitely, President Xi may feel he has a freer hand to pursue needed economic reforms. Others have expressed concern that Xi could pursue an even more assertive foreign policy. Strengthening the Constitutional Basis for Communist Party Rule The Party's leadership role was previously not mentioned in any of the articles of the constitution, although it was referenced five times in the preamble, creating ambiguity about the legal basis for the Party's powers. Article 1 of the constitution states that, The socialist system is the basic system of the People's Republic of China. A 2018 amendment added a follow-up sentence: The defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Putting Xi on a Par with Mao and Deng Another 2018 amendment added to the constitution's preamble a reference to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. That change appeared to put Xi's guiding philosophy on a par with the philosophies of two powerful predecessors: Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory. The same amendment also added a mention of the governing philosophy of Xi's immediate predecessor, Hu Jintao, but without Hu's name attached to it. New Anti-Graft Agency Multiple additional 2018 amendments to the constitution provide a constitutional basis for a new anti-graft agency, the State Supervision Commission. A new Supervision Law of the PRC adopted at the NPC session spells out the commission's mission, organization, and powers. The Party's existing Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) has broad powers to investigate China's 89.5 million Communist Party members. The new State Supervision Commission, headed by the second ranking official in the Party CDIC, is intended to extend the Party's graft-fighting to all public employees who exercise public power, even if they are not Communist Party members. The scope of those covered includes not only officials in such bodies as Party and government agencies, the courts, and national and local legislatures, but also administrators in public education, scientific research, culture, health care, sports, and other such units. The commission is https:I/crsreports.conc -- -q

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