Constitution of the People's Republic of China

The current Constitution of China was adopted and promulgated at the Fifth Session of the Fifth National People's Congress on December 4, 1982. It was amended five times, in April 1988, March 1993, March 1999, March 2004 and March 2018. The amended current Constitution has four chapters and 143 articles.

This Constitution affirms, in legal form, the achievements of the struggles of the Chinese people of all nationalities and stipulates the fundamental system and task of the state. It is the fundamental law of the state and has supreme legal force.

The “Constitution” states that China will long remain in the primary stage of socialism. The fundamental task for our country is to concentrate on achieving socialist modernization along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We the Chinese people of all nationalities will continue, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of “Three Represents”, the “Scientific Outlook on Development” and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to uphold the people’s democratic dictatorship, stay on the socialist road, carry out Reform and Opening-up, steadily improve the socialist institutions, develop the socialist market economy and socialist democracy, improve socialist rule of law, apply the new development philosophy, and work hard in a spirit of self-reliance to modernize step by step the country’s industry, agriculture, national defense, and science and technology and promote coordinated material, political, cultural-ethical, social and ecological advancement, in order to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The “Constitution” stipulates: The People’s Republic of China is a socialist state governed by a people’s democratic dictatorship that is led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants. The socialist system is the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China. Leadership by the Communist Party of China is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is prohibited for any organization or individual to damage the socialist system.

All power in the People’s Republic of China belongs to the people. The organs through which the people exercise state power are the National People’s Congress and the local people’s congresses at all levels. The people shall, in accordance with the provisions of law, manage state affairs, economic and cultural undertakings, and social affairs through various channels and in various ways.

The state institutions of the People’s Republic of China shall practice the principle of democratic centralism. All administrative, supervisory, adjudicatory and procuratorial organs of the state shall be created by the people’s congresses and shall be responsible to them and subject to their oversight. All nationalities of the People’s Republic of China are equal.

The state shall protect the lawful rights and interests of all ethnic minorities and uphold and promote relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony among all nationalities. All areas inhabited by ethnic minorities shall practice regional autonomy, establish autonomous organs, and exercise the power to self-govern. All ethnic autonomous regions are inseparable parts of the People’s Republic of China.

The People’s Republic of China shall practice law-based governance and build a socialist state under the rule of law. The state shall safeguard the unity and sanctity of the socialist legal system. No law, administrative regulation or local regulation shall be in conflict with the Constitution.

The foundation of the socialist economic system of the People’s Republic of China is socialist public ownership of the means of production, that is, ownership by the whole people and collective ownership by the working people. The system of socialist public ownership has eradicated the system of exploitation of man by man, and practices the principle of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his work.” In the primary stage of socialism, the state shall uphold a fundamental economic system under which public ownership is the mainstay and diverse forms of ownership develop side by side, and shall uphold an income distribution system under which distribution according to work is the mainstay, while multiple forms of distribution exist alongside it. The state shall practice a socialist market economy. The “Constitution” also stipulates the rights and duties of citizens, the establishment of state institutions, and the national flag, national anthem, national emblem and capital of the People's Republic of China.