National Congress of the Communist Party of China

The National Congress of the Communist Party of China (NCCPC; Chinese: 中国共产党全国代表大会; pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì; literally: Chinese Communist Party National Representatives Congress) is a party congress that is held every five years. The National Congress is theoretically the highest body within the Communist Party of China. Since 1987 the National Congress has been held in the months of October or November. The venue for the event, beginning in 1956, is the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. In the past two decades the National Congress of the CPC has been pivotal at least as a symbolic part of leadership changes, and therefore has gained international media attention.

National Congress of the Communist Party of China
中国共产党全国代表大会
Communist Party of China emblem
Type
Type
Term limits
Five years
Leadership
Authority
Jurisdiction
Meeting place
Great Hall of the People
Beijing, China
Website
en.people.cn/206235//
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Since the mid-1980s, the Communist Party has attempted to maintain a smooth and orderly succession and avoiding a cult of personality, by having a major shift in personnel every ten years in even number party congresses, and by promoting people in preparation for this shift in odd number party congresses.

In addition, as people at the top level of the party retire, there is room for younger members of the party to move up one level. Hence the party congress is a time of a general personnel reshuffle, and the climax of negotiations that involve not only the top leadership but practically all significant political positions in China. Because of the pyramid structure of the party and the existence of mandatory retirement ages, cadres who are not promoted at a party congress are likely to face the end of their political careers.

In addition to making leadership changes, the Congress also reviews and changes, if necessary, the Party's Constitution, and selects the Central Committee, a powerful decision making body. Each five-year cycle of the National People's Congress also has a series of plenums of the Central Committee which since the mid-1990s have been held more or less regularly once every year.

Similar to the practice of the NPC, the delegates to the Congress are formally selected from grassroots party organizations, and like the NPC, there is a system of staggered elections in which one level of the party votes for the delegates to the next higher level. For the National Congress, delegates are elected by the Communist Party's provincial level party congresses or their equivalent units in a selection process that is screened and supervised by the party's Organization Department as directed by the Politburo Standing Committee.[1]

Keys
Abbreviations
CC Central Committee
CCDI Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
FM Full member (a member with voting rights).
AM Alternate member (a member without voting rights).
VD Voting delegate (a delegate who can vote).
AD Alternate delegate (a delegate who cannot vote).
DU Data unavailable.
SID Specially invited delegate (a party member who has retired, but giving ordinary delegate rights).
Political Report Political Report to the Central Committee, a document which briefs delegates about the period since the last congress and future work.
Constitution Constitution of the Communist Party of China, the fundamental governing document of the CPC. Formerly known as the Charter.
PMR Party members represented at the congress by delegates (the party membership at the time).

Convocations
Congress Duration
(start—end)		 Delegates Electoral
units		 Elected Political Report
(presented by)		 Constitution
(changes)		 PMR
CC CCDI
1st National Congress
8 days
None		 23–31 July 1921 12 7 — — Chen Duxiu —
[note 1]		 50
2nd National Congress
7 days
CC consultations		 16–23 July 1922 12 DU 5 FM
–
3 AM		 — Chen Duxiu 1st Charter 195
3rd National Congress
8 days
CC appointments		 12–20 June 1923 ~30 DU 9 FM
–
5 AM		 — Chen Duxiu Amendment 420
4th National Congress
11 days
CC appointments		 11–22 January 1925 20 DU 9 FM
–
5 AM		 — Chen Duxiu Amendment 994
5th National Congress
13 days
1927 election		 27 April–9 May 1927 ~80 11 22 FM
–
14 AM		 — Chen Duxiu Amendment
[note 2]		 57,967
6th National Congress
23 days
1928 election		 18 June–11 July 1928 84 VD
–
34 AD		 17 14 FM
–
13 AM		 — Qu Qiubai 2nd Charter 130,194
7th National Congress
49 days
1939–1945 election		 23 April–11 June 1945 544 VD
–
208 AD		 8 44 FM
–
33 AM		 — Mao Zedong 3rd Constitution 1,210,000
8th National Congress
30 days
1955–1956 election		 15–27 September 1956
–
5–23 May 1958		 1,026 VD
–
86 AD		 31 97 FM
–
73 AM		 — Liu Shaoqi 4th Constitution 10,730,000
9th National Congress
23 days
1968–1969 election		 1–24 April 1969 1,512 DU 170 FM
–
109 AM		 — Lin Biao 5th Constitution 22,000,000
10th National Congress
4 days
1972–1973 election		 24–28 August 1973 1,249 DU 194 FM
–
124 AM		 — Zhou Enlai 6th Constitution 28,000,000
11th National Congress
6 days
1976–1977 election		 12–18 August 1977 1,510 DU 201 FM
–
132 AM		 — Hua Guofeng Amendment 35,000,000
12th National Congress
6 days
1981–1982 election		 1–11 September 1982 1,600 VD
–
149 AD		 DU 210 FM
–
138 AM		 132 Hu Yaobang 7th Constitution 39,000,000
13th National Congress
8 days
1986–1987 election		 25 October–1 November 1987 1,936 VD
–
61 SID		 33 175 FM
–
110 AM		 69 Zhao Ziyang Amendment 46,000,000
14th National Congress
6 days
1991–1992 election		 12–18 October 1992 1,989 VD
–
46 SID		 34 189 FM
–
130 AM		 108 Jiang Zemin Amendment 51,000,000
15th National Congress
7 days
1996–1997 election		 12 September
–
18 September 1997		 2,074 VD
–
60 SID		 36 193 FM
–
151 AM		 115 Jiang Zemin Amendment 58,000,000
16th National Congress
7 days
2001–2002 election		 8–14 November 2002 2,114 VD
–
40 SID		 38 198 FM
–
158 AM		 121 Jiang Zemin Amendment 66,000,000
17th National Congress
7 days
2006–2007 election		 15–21 October 2007 2,217 VD
–
57 SID		 38 204 FM
–
167 AM		 127 Hu Jintao Amendment 73,363,000
18th National Congress
7 days
2011–2012 election		 8–14 November 2012 2,270 VD
–
57 SID		 40 205 FM
–
171 AM		 130 Hu Jintao Amendment 82,600,000
19th National Congress
7 days
2016–2017 election		 18–24 October 2017 2,280 VD
–
57 SID		 40 204 FM
–
172 AM		 133 Xi Jinping Amendment 89,000,000

Notes
  1. The 1st National Congress conceived of a party program, a document which focuses on ideology rather than explaining the organizational structure of the party.[2]
  2. Decided by congress that the 5th Politburo would amend the constitution after the congress.[2]

References

Citations
  1. Li, Cheng (2012). "Preparing For the 18th Party Congress: Procedures and Mechanisms" (PDF). China Leadership Monitor (36). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  2. Wu 2015, p. 182.

Sources

Information on congresses, number of delegates, electoral units, number of people elected to CCs, party membership, the individual who presented the Political Report and information on when the congress was convened can be found in these sources:

Bibliography
  • Wu, Guoguang (2015). China's Party Congress: Power, Legitimacy, and Institutional Manipulation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-08202-1.
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