ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to lay a basic foundation for subsequent chapters by providing essential information on state power and governance structures in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). As such, it will explain how state power is conceived, organized, and delivered in China. It will also introduce key governance structures in China, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the State Council, the National People’s Congress (NPC), the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the Central Military Commission (CMC), and provinces. Importantly, we must note that state power in China is anything but static. Over the years since the founding of the PRC, the concept of state power has evolved from a democratic coalition of different political elites through a proletarian dictatorship to a country of rule by law under the dominance of the CCP. We begin our analysis by explaining the evolution of state power in China since the founding of the People’s Republic through an analysis of different versions of the state constitution. This is then followed by an explication of key governance structures, and analyses of how the CMC and the CCP’s leadership relate to these structures.
