Eight Political Parties in China

China is a country that accepts involvement from multiple political parties. Apart from the CPC, the ruling party, there are eight political parties. They are China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang, China Democratic League, China Democratic National Construction Association, China Association for the Promotion of Democracy, Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, China Zhi Gong Dang, Jiusan Society, and the Taiwan Democratic Self-government League. Most of them were founded during the anti-Japanese war and the national liberation war. They support the political leadership of the CPC, which has become their historical choice during the long years of cooperation with the CPC and through common struggles. The democratic parties are independent organizations and enjoy political freedom, organizational independence and legal equality under the Constitution. Cooperative relations between the CPC and the democratic parties are based on the principle of "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision, treating each other with full sincerity and sharing weal or woe." The political parties in China are not opposition parties, but parties participating in the discussion and administration of State affairs. The political parties and nonparty officials have considerable numbers of representatives in organs of State power such as the economic, cultural, educational, and scientific sectors, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee, the NPC special committees and the local people's congresses at various levels. Some of the members are even taking leadership in these departments. For example, the chairmen of the eight political parties are now taking the posts of vice chairmen of Standing Committee of NPC and vice presidents of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At present, these political parties have seen a large increase in membership. The eight parties have their local and basic organizations in every province, autonomous region, municipality, and large and mid-sized city. 1. China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang Officially founded on January 1, 1948, the China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang or "Ming Ge" was created by former Kuomintang members for democracy and other patriotic officials. It is a party uniting patriots living in China and residing abroad in favor of the unification of the motherland and to strive for the unification and rejuvenation of China. The party has a membership of 65,000 and He Luli is its chairwoman. 2. China Democratic League First established in November 1939, China Democratic League or "Min Meng" took its present name in September 1944. At the time, it was called "China Democratic and Political League". The China Democratic League is mainly comprised of patriots and senior intellectuals in the fields of culture, education, science and technology who support socialist causes. It has a membership of 156,000 and its chairman is Ding Shisun. 3. China Democratic National Construction Association Established on December 16, 1945, China Democratic National Construction Association or "Min Jian" is composed of patriotic representatives in the economic and intellectual fields. It now has 85,000 members and its chairman is Cheng Siwei. 4. China Association for the Promotion of Democracy The China Association for the Promotion of Democracy or "Min Jing" was founded on December 30, 1945. The association is mainly comprised of representative intellectuals in the fields of education, culture, publishing and science. It has a membership of 81,000 and its chairman is Xu Jialu. 5. Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party The Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party was founded in August 1930 and is called the "Nonggong Party". Most of its members are patriot intellectuals in the fields of medical science, science and technology, culture and education who support socialism. It now has a membership of 80,000 and its chairman is Jiang Zhenghua. 6. China Zhi Gong Dang Founded in October 1925, the China Zhi Gong Dang is a democratic party mainly composed of returned overseas Chinese and their relatives. It has a membership of nearly 20,000 and its chairman is Luo Haocai. 7. Jiusan Society Founded in May 1946, the Jiu San Society is mainly composed of senior and medium-level intellectuals in the fields of science and technology, culture, education and public health. It has a membership of 80,000 and its chairman is Wu Jieping. 8. Taiwan Democratic Self-government League Founded in November 1947, the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League or the "Tai Meng" is a political alliance mainly composed of Taiwan compatriots living in the mainland of China and patriots supporting socialism. It has a membership of over 1,800 and its chairman is Zhang Kehui.