Unified and Multi-National State

A unified multi-national country (a unitary state) is the form of China's state structure.

On the basis of the experience of the Soviet Union, the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in July 1922 proposed the establishment of the Federal Republic of China. With the accumulation of experience, the CPC Central Committee gradually formed a new understanding of this issue.

During the preparation for the establishment of China's first national autonomous region, namely Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, under the leadership of the party, the CPC Central Committee put forward in the instruction issued on March 23, 1947 that in the declaration of the Inner Mongolia People's Congress, "the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Government should be determined to be a non-independent government, which recognizes that the Inner Mongolia autonomous region still belongs to the territory of China and is willing to be a part of China's real democratic coalition government."

During the preparatory period of the People's Political Consultative Conference in 1949, Mao Zedong and the CPC Central Committee made further discussions on the form of state structure in New China. In these discussions it was concluded that the situation of China was different from that of the Soviet Union, and that a federal system for nationalities was not appropriate to implement. The national minorities in the Soviet Union accounted for about 47% of the total population of the country, which was not too less when compared to the majority, i.e., the Russians. But, in those days the national minorities in China accounted for only 6% of the total population and showed a state of large dispersion and narrow settlement, and the Han nationality and the national minorities often live in mixed or staggered communities with each other.

The federal system of the Soviet Union was determined by the situation at that time. After the February Revolution and the October Revolution, many nationalities in Russia were actually separated into various states, and they had to adopt federalism to unite the various republics united in the form of the Soviet Union which was designed as a transitional form towards a complete reunification in the future. However, in China under the leadership of the CPC, all nationalities were united on the basis of equality during the period of revolution and after the victory united as equals in the establishment of a unitary state, i.e., the People's Republic without any separation of nationalities. Therefore, the unitary state structure was in line with China's actual situation and the implementation of regional national autonomy under the unitary state form is more convenient for the realization of the principle of national equality.

On September 7, 1949, Zhou Enlai said in his report on “Several Issues on the People's Political Consultative Conference” to the CPPCC delegates before the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC: “Today, the imperialists want to split Xizang, Taiwan and even Xinjiang. Under such circumstances, we hope that all nationalities will not listen to the instigation of the imperialists. To this end, the name of our country is called the People's Republic of China, not the Federation.” “Although we are not a federation, we advocate regional ethnic autonomy and exercise the power of ethnic autonomy.” This opinion was supported and approved by all participants represented in the Conference.

The “Preamble to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China” stipulated: "The People's Republic of China is a unitary multi-ethnic state created jointly by the people of all its ethnic groups.” Also, Article 4 of the Constitution stipulates that "Regional autonomy is practiced in areas where people of ethnic minorities live in compact communities, and in these areas, organs of self-government are established for the exercise of autonomy.” “All the national autonomous areas are inalienable parts of the People's Republic of China.” These regulations show that the form of the state structure of China is unitary.