China's ruling party uses democratic processes to determine policy

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‍In preparation for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China's ruling party has implemented strict measures to select congressional delegates that represent China's diversified voices and opinions.

A total of 2,287 delegates representing the Party's 89 million members will attend this year's National Congress.

The delegates underwent several stages of vetting before they received the final approval – nomination, candidate selection, organizational review, and finally election. The voting process ensured that corrupt officials could not buy a seat in this year's Congress and only outstanding CPC members in all respects can attend.

According to the CPC Central Committee's organization department, delegates were selected based on strict standards of political integrity and correct working styles.

The entire process was closely supervised. A total of 27 people, including some former senior Party officials, were disqualified in line with the strict standards.

"The 19th CPC National Congress has made great efforts to develop democracy within the Party. Various levels of equality reviews and discipline inspections prevent any corrupted Party members from being elected. The 19th CPC National Congress selection process is stricter than previous ones,” said Zhang Xixian, professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.

Zhang Xixian, professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC. /CGTN Photo

The CPC National Congress has gone to great lengths to reflect a wide spectrum of opinions and voices.

According to the CPC Central Committee's organization department, this year's delegates come from various sectors and social groups, some one-quarter of whom are female, nearly 12 percent ethnic minorities, and 34 percent from production and manufacturing sectors, including migrant workers, farmers, and technical personnel.

The CPC uses democratic processes to elect representatives, decide policy, and conduct governance. Zhang said this year's national congress should work to further strengthen democratic principles within the Party.

"According to the Party's Constitution, members have rights to discourse, vote, participate and select members. We should develop democracy within the Party step-by-step through this National Congress, and make breakthroughs in these areas,” said Zhang.

According to Zhang, the Party should further develop the rights of the CPC members, so they can continue to steer China towards a more prosperous future.