Chinese Communist Party Under Xi Jinping Broadens Command

The National People’s Congress (NPC) has codified the subordination of the State Council, China’s central government, to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The weakening of Premier LI Qiang, the head of government, relative to President XI Jinping signals the CCP’s broadening command over the central government. Pamir assesses that CCP political objectives are increasingly driving Chinese government policies and economic priorities. 

At its session in March, the NPC amended the Organic Law of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the first such update since the law was enacted in 1982. The amended law codifies the State Council’s subordination to CCP authority. 

• Newly added Article 3 stipulates that the State Council, China’s top executive body, must uphold the leadership of the CCP; resolutely uphold the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized and unified leadership; and resolutely implement the Party Central Committee’s decisions and plans.
• Newly added Article 19 further stipulates that government agencies directly subordinate to the State Council, such as ministries, “shall resolutely uphold the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized and unified leadership.”

The Chinese government also inexplicably canceled Li’s post-NPC press briefing, which has been held after each annual NPC session since 1993.  The NPC added that the premier will not hold press briefings after future NPC sessions “unless under special circumstances.”   

During much of the post-Mao period, the State Council under the leadership of the premier has acted as a relatively independent source of power, as well as the top Chinese decision-making body on the national economy. Since Xi came to power in 2012, the State Council’s independence has steadily declined, and its economic decision-making role has shifted increasingly to the CCP under Xi’s leadership. Since then, Xi has arrogated to himself the power to make all important policy decisions. 

• Chinese sources believe that a key reason for the cancelation of Li’s post-NPC press briefing is that Xi wants to guard against dissenting voices among the top Chinese leaders. Li also did not want to appear as promoting himself and challenging Xi’s authority, as was the case with Li’s immediate predecessor. In his work report to the NPC, Li mentioned and praised Xi at least 16 times.