Eric's Beijing Diary

Every March brings the politicos to Beijing from all over the country. Interesting, the CCTV reporter made a point of stating that the NPC, which has, in the past, been viewed as a "rubber stamp" congress, is developing into the major legislative body in the People's Republic. This is something I am going to be watching. It can be frustrating, sometimes, to try to understand where true power is seated in this country. Every March, the NPC and the CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) meet at the same time in Beijing. Theoretically, one of them (NPC) is legislative, and the other (CPPCC) is advisory. That's actually pretty much how it works...sorta like the House of Commons and the House of Lords (although that analogy is eroding with the new changes being put forth in the UK). At any rate, although membership in the NPC is controlled by the party, it would not be quite accurate to say that the NPC is merely a "rubber stamp" body. They have been known to take issue with the party, although it would be unusual, I guess, for them to repudiate a law recommended by the Politburo. In this way, the Chinese system differs markedly from the British. In the UK, there is no "behind the scenes" party or entity which oversees the House of Commons.

But you really have to pay attention, because it is changing all the time. Remember, the Communist Party in this country has 60 million members. There is no dictator or "super ruler" who wields complete control, such as in the days of Mao or Deng Xiao-ping.