Chinese system is the ‘cat that catches most rats’, says Communist Party ahead of centenary celebrations

A white paper extolling the merits of the political system, which enshrines the CCP’s primacy, says it is a major contributor to humanity
Senior official praises the country’s ‘magnificent achievements’ and says it has avoided the problems caused by a multiparty system

China’s Communist Party

Jane Caiin Beijing

Published: 9:26pm, 25 Jun 2021

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The Chinese Communist Party has hailed its political system as a major contributor to humanity as it prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next week.

A white paper published by the United Front Work Department, the body responsible for relations with non-party bodies and groups inside and outside China, said the country had implemented a “new type of party political system” in which the CCP plays a leading role, with eight minor parties limited to a supporting role.

“The magnificent achievements China made in the past 70 years have fully proven that our new type of party political system is the cat that can catch the most rats,” Xu Yousheng, deputy director of the United Front Work Department told a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

The feline metaphor was borrowed from late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who proclaimed that no matter whether it was “yellow or white, a cat that catches mice is a good cat” – a slogan that came to symbolise his pragmatic approach to economic policy.

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In the past four decades China has made major progress in eliminating poverty and risen to be the world’s second largest economy, while also becoming a technological powerhouse.

However, the political system enshrines the primacy of the Communist Party, and people do not have the opportunity to vote for an alternative ruling party or government.

As the CCP marks its centenary, the party has been keen to emphasise its legitimacy as its policies in Xinjiang and Hong Kong face increasing opposition internationally and the Covid-19 pandemic fuels further tensions with the United States. Xu defended the Chinese system saying there was “no universal model”, and said it helped avoid unnecessary opposition from parties that represented certain classes, regions or vested interests that could divide society.

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“China’s system can avoid the multiparty weakness of vicious competition,” he said. “It offers a ‘Chinese solution’ to the world political party system. It’s a big contribution to the political civilisation of humankind.”

While China’s centralised and bureaucratic system can mobilise resources quickly to build infrastructure and contain the Covid-19 pandemic effectively with forceful administrative measures such as lockdowns, critics have long argued that the lack of oversight in the system allows for the exercise of unchecked power.

The white paper said the minor parties were “good advisers, helpers and coworkers” of the CCP, saying their opinions were solicited before policies and laws were introduced.

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But these parties are far smaller than the CCP. The largest – the China Democratic League. made up of what it calls mid and senior-level intellectuals in culture, education, science and technology – has 320,000 members compared with the CCP’s 92 million members. The parties’ leaders are also chosen by the Communist Party and their role is limited to a consultative one.

Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping has warned that corruption remains “the biggest threat to the party’s rule”. Between 2013 and 2017, more than a million officials were disciplined or imprisoned under an anti-corruption drive, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Party system ‘cat catches the most rats’