Constitution of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

The current “Constitution of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference” was adopted at the Fifth Session of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on December 11, 1982. It was subsequently amended four times, in March 1994, March 2000, March 2004 and March 2018. The current “Constitution” includes the General Principles and General Working Rules, General Organizational Principals, Members, National Committee, Local Committees and Emblem, and includes a total of 63 articles.

The “Constitution” points out: The Chinese people, during the long course of revolution, development, and reform, have brought together the most extensive patriotic united front, which, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and based on an alliance of workers and farmers, is participated in by other political parties, public figures without Party affiliation, people’s organizations, ethnic minorities, and patriots from all sectors of society, and is formed of all socialist workers, builders of the socialist cause, patriots who support socialism, and patriots who support the reunification of the country and strive for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, including compatriots from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, compatriots from the Macao Special Administrative Region, compatriots from Taiwan, and overseas Chinese. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is an organization of the Chinese people’s patriotic united front, an important institution of CPC-led multiParty cooperation and political consultation, a major form for promoting socialist democracy in China’s political life, an important component of the country’s governance system, and a distinctively Chinese institutional arrangement. The two main purposes of the CPPCC are to pursue unity and democracy.

The system of multi-Party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC is a basic political system with Chinese characteristics and is a socialist political Party system with Chinese characteristics. The CPPCC is an important political and organizational form of the system of multi-Party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC.

The CPPCC shall, on the basis of the principles of the long-term coexistence of, and mutual oversight, sincerity, and the sharing of rough and smooth between the CPC and other political parties and public figures without Party affiliation, promote their unity and cooperation within the CPPCC and fully reflect and give play to the distinctive features and strengths of China’s new style of socialist political Party system.

Consultative democracy is a model and strength unique to China’s socialist democracy. The CPPCC is an important channel for socialist consultative democracy and a specialist consultative body. It shall, focusing on the country’s key tasks, put consultative democracy into practice throughout the whole process of the performance of its duties, improve the content and forms of consultation and deliberation, strive to build consensus and promote unity, and play an irreplaceable role in advancing the extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy and in the modernization of China’s system and capacity for governance.

The “Constitution” stipulates: The CPPCC National Committee and local committees shall operate in accordance with this Charter. The principles to be followed in the work of the National Committee and local committees are: uphold the leadership of the CPC, stay true to the nature and position of the CPPCC, be committed to great unity and solidarity, and promote socialist democracy. The principal function of the CPPCC National Committee and local committees shall be political consultation, democratic supervision and participation in the discussion and management of state affairs. The principal functions of the National Committee and local committees are political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in and deliberation of state affairs.

The “Constitution” has also stipulated the general organizational principles of the CPPCC at all levels, the rights, duties, responsibilities and the administration of CPPCC members, the composition, powers and duties and working mechanism of the CPPCC National Committee and local committees, and the CPPCC emblem.

The “Constitution” stipulates that All activities of the CPPCC shall be in line with the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China as the fundamental code. The National Committee and local committees of the CPPCC shall, in accordance with law, uphold the rights of all participating organizations and individuals to perform their duties in line with this Charter.