Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
Encyclopedia
The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee is a department of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee that controls staffing positions within the CPC.
The Organization Department is one of the most important organs of the CPC. It is a secretive and highly trusted agency, and forms the institutional heart of the Leninist
party system. It controls the more than 70 million party personnel assignments throughout the national system, and compiles detailed and confidential reports on future potential leaders of the Party.
Because the People's Republic of China
is a one party state, the Organization Department has an enormous amount of control over personnel within the PRC. The Organization Department is indispensable to the CPC's power, and the key to its hold over personnel throughout every level of government and industry. It is one of the key agencies of the Central Committee, along with the Central Propaganda Department and International Liaison Department.
The central nomenklatura list comprises the top 5,000 positions in the party-state, all of which are controlled by the Organization Department. This includes all ministerial and vice-ministerial positions, provincial governorships and First Party secretary appointments, as well as appointments of university chancellors, presidents of the Academy of Science and Academy of Social Sciences, etc.
Related to the nomenklatura list is the bianzhi list, which is a list of the authorized number of personnel, as well as their duties and functions in government administrative organs, state enterprises, and service organisations. The bianzhi covers those employed in these organisations, whereas the nomenklatura applies to leadership positions. However, because the Party and its organizational departments are constantly intervening in the personnel and administrative functioning of state institutions, the parallel existence of the bianzhi and nomenklatura systems has become an obstacle to fundamental administrative reform in China.
While the system is from the Soviet Union, "the CPC has taken it to an extreme," Yuan Weishi of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong is quoted as saying by the Financial Times
. "China is more radical. [The party here] wants to lead everything."
An equivalent of the Organization Department in the United States, according to the Times, would "oversee the appointments of US state governors and their deputies; the mayors of big cities; heads of federal regulatory agencies; the chief executives of General Electric
, ExxonMobil
, Walmart and 50-odd of the remaining largest companies; justices on the Supreme Court; the editors of The New York Times
, The Wall Street Journal
and The Washington Post
, the bosses of the television networks and cable stations, the presidents of Yale
and Harvard and other big universities and the heads of think-tanks such as the Brookings Institution
and the Heritage Foundation
."
Bruce Gilley and Andrew Nathan write that in the promotion of individual candidates for high positions, a good rating from the Organization Department is essential. The Department judges on such qualities as "ideological probity, loyalty to the Party, attitude toward work, and ability to mobilize others." Its research on individuals slated for top positions are "probing" and assessments often acute.
In recent years, the party's Organization Department introduced an evaluation procedure for leading officials (the cadre responsibility system) that aimed to assess regularly the officials' performance and success at implementing policies. Shambaugh also notes the promulgation of Regulations on the Selection and Appointment of Party and Government Leading Cadres in July 2002, writing that the Organization Department has stepped up its evaluation of cadres, including annual appraisal reviews according to various criteria. However, research conducted by Thomas Heberer in China in 2007 revealed that an effective evaluation procedure is not yet in place. Crucial policy areas, such as environmental issues, are not being evaluated, and evaluation is predominantly based on self-assessment.
The nomenklatura system is also facing grave challenges due to the development of the market economy and private entrepreneurship in China. Because Chinese citizens can now achieve upward mobility and the acquisition of resources outside the Party's control, the CPC is no longer the sole stakeholder. This developmental entails a challenge to the power monopoly of the CPC.
Senior Party leaders often carry influence in the determination of key positions. The children of Li Peng
, for example, came to hold powerful jobs in the power sector where he had ruled; while Zhu Rongji
oversaw the finance sector, his son became the highly paid head of China International Capital Corporation, the country's largest investment bank; and Jiang Zemin
replaced others when he was the Party official in charge of technology, putting loyalists into top jobs, and his son into a key position.
The buying and selling of official positions also takes place, particularly in small localities, where head of the local Organization Department is among the most sought after positions. The job carries great discretionary power, allowing the wielder the ability to grant jobs to other individuals in return for cash. The practice is characterised by bribery, corruption, treachery, and "sheer desperate self-interest," according to the Financial Times, which examined internal documents produced by the Organization Department in Jilin Province.
Internal Party documents give frank assessments of the Organization Department's strategy to enhance its control. Before the 16th Party Congress, a set of Temporary Regulations were amended to encourage the appointment of cadres that explicitly supported Jiang Zemin's theory of Three Represents
. Jiang's closest ally in the central government, Zeng Qinghong
, who headed the Central Organization Department at the time, gave a presentation at a special training session for organization and personnel cadres before the official release of the 2002 regulations. He asserted bluntly that "the work of amending the 'temporary regulations' consists in building a stronger thought, organization, and work style within the whole Party according to the requirements of the 'Three Represents'"
The Organization Department had been headed by Li Yuanchao
since late 2007.
The Organization Department is one of the most important organs of the CPC. It is a secretive and highly trusted agency, and forms the institutional heart of the Leninist
Leninism
In Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
party system. It controls the more than 70 million party personnel assignments throughout the national system, and compiles detailed and confidential reports on future potential leaders of the Party.
Because the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is a one party state, the Organization Department has an enormous amount of control over personnel within the PRC. The Organization Department is indispensable to the CPC's power, and the key to its hold over personnel throughout every level of government and industry. It is one of the key agencies of the Central Committee, along with the Central Propaganda Department and International Liaison Department.
Nomenklatura
The CPC uses the nomenklatura method ("list of names" in Soviet terminology) to determine appointments. The nomenklatura system is how a Leninist ruling party staffs the apparat, exercising organizational hegemony over appointments and dominating the political life of the country.The central nomenklatura list comprises the top 5,000 positions in the party-state, all of which are controlled by the Organization Department. This includes all ministerial and vice-ministerial positions, provincial governorships and First Party secretary appointments, as well as appointments of university chancellors, presidents of the Academy of Science and Academy of Social Sciences, etc.
Related to the nomenklatura list is the bianzhi list, which is a list of the authorized number of personnel, as well as their duties and functions in government administrative organs, state enterprises, and service organisations. The bianzhi covers those employed in these organisations, whereas the nomenklatura applies to leadership positions. However, because the Party and its organizational departments are constantly intervening in the personnel and administrative functioning of state institutions, the parallel existence of the bianzhi and nomenklatura systems has become an obstacle to fundamental administrative reform in China.
While the system is from the Soviet Union, "the CPC has taken it to an extreme," Yuan Weishi of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong is quoted as saying by the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. "China is more radical. [The party here] wants to lead everything."
An equivalent of the Organization Department in the United States, according to the Times, would "oversee the appointments of US state governors and their deputies; the mayors of big cities; heads of federal regulatory agencies; the chief executives of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
, Walmart and 50-odd of the remaining largest companies; justices on the Supreme Court; the editors of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, the bosses of the television networks and cable stations, the presidents of Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Harvard and other big universities and the heads of think-tanks such as the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
and the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
."
Bruce Gilley and Andrew Nathan write that in the promotion of individual candidates for high positions, a good rating from the Organization Department is essential. The Department judges on such qualities as "ideological probity, loyalty to the Party, attitude toward work, and ability to mobilize others." Its research on individuals slated for top positions are "probing" and assessments often acute.
In recent years, the party's Organization Department introduced an evaluation procedure for leading officials (the cadre responsibility system) that aimed to assess regularly the officials' performance and success at implementing policies. Shambaugh also notes the promulgation of Regulations on the Selection and Appointment of Party and Government Leading Cadres in July 2002, writing that the Organization Department has stepped up its evaluation of cadres, including annual appraisal reviews according to various criteria. However, research conducted by Thomas Heberer in China in 2007 revealed that an effective evaluation procedure is not yet in place. Crucial policy areas, such as environmental issues, are not being evaluated, and evaluation is predominantly based on self-assessment.
The nomenklatura system is also facing grave challenges due to the development of the market economy and private entrepreneurship in China. Because Chinese citizens can now achieve upward mobility and the acquisition of resources outside the Party's control, the CPC is no longer the sole stakeholder. This developmental entails a challenge to the power monopoly of the CPC.
Corruption
The Central Organization Department played a leading role in the cadre reform drive from 2005-2006. In June 1999 the department made efforts to prevent provincial leaders from working in their native provinces in an attempt to prevent corruption.Senior Party leaders often carry influence in the determination of key positions. The children of Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
, for example, came to hold powerful jobs in the power sector where he had ruled; while Zhu Rongji
Zhu Rongji
Zhū Róngjī is a prominent Chinese politician who served as the Mayor and Party chief in Shanghai between 1987 and 1991, before serving as Vice-Premier and then the fifth Premier of the People's Republic of China from March 1998 to March 2003.A tough administrator, his time in office saw the...
oversaw the finance sector, his son became the highly paid head of China International Capital Corporation, the country's largest investment bank; and Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
replaced others when he was the Party official in charge of technology, putting loyalists into top jobs, and his son into a key position.
The buying and selling of official positions also takes place, particularly in small localities, where head of the local Organization Department is among the most sought after positions. The job carries great discretionary power, allowing the wielder the ability to grant jobs to other individuals in return for cash. The practice is characterised by bribery, corruption, treachery, and "sheer desperate self-interest," according to the Financial Times, which examined internal documents produced by the Organization Department in Jilin Province.
Internal Party documents give frank assessments of the Organization Department's strategy to enhance its control. Before the 16th Party Congress, a set of Temporary Regulations were amended to encourage the appointment of cadres that explicitly supported Jiang Zemin's theory of Three Represents
Three Represents
The Three Represents is a socio-political ideology credited to General Secretary Jiang Zemin which became a guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China at its Sixteenth Party Congress in 2002....
. Jiang's closest ally in the central government, Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong was the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2008. He became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee during the 2002 16th Party Congress. Although he was formally ranked fifth in the nine PSC...
, who headed the Central Organization Department at the time, gave a presentation at a special training session for organization and personnel cadres before the official release of the 2002 regulations. He asserted bluntly that "the work of amending the 'temporary regulations' consists in building a stronger thought, organization, and work style within the whole Party according to the requirements of the 'Three Represents'"
The Organization Department had been headed by Li Yuanchao
Li Yuanchao
Li Yuanchao is a prominent politician in the People's Republic of China, serving on the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and as the head of its Organization Department. From 2002-2007 Li served as the Communist Party of China Secretary of Jiangsu, the first-in-charge of an area of...
since late 2007.
List of the Heads of Department
- Zhang GuotaoZhang GuotaoZhang Guotao was a founding member and important leader of the Chinese Communist Party and bitter rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact with the Comintern and organized the CCP labor movement in the United Front with the Guomindang...
(张国焘): July 1921 － June 1923 - Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
(毛泽东): May 1924 － January 1925 - Chen DuxiuChen DuxiuChen Duxiu played many different roles in Chinese history. He was a leading figure in the anti-imperial Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement for Science and Democracy. Along with Li Dazhao, Chen was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. He was its first General Secretary....
(陈独秀): January 1925 － April 1927 - Zhang GuotaoZhang GuotaoZhang Guotao was a founding member and important leader of the Chinese Communist Party and bitter rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact with the Comintern and organized the CCP labor movement in the United Front with the Guomindang...
(张国焘): April 1927 － July 1927 - Li WeihanLi WeihanLi Weihan was a Chinese Communist politician who was the first principal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the highest training center for party workers and leaders. Li served as principal from 1933 to 1935 and again from 1937 to 1938.-External links:*...
(李维汉): August 1927 － September 1927 - Luo Yinong (罗亦农): September 1927 － January 1928 (head of the Organization Department Office)
- Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(周恩来): January 1928 － February 1930 - Xiang YingXiang YingXiang Ying was a war-time Chinese communist leader reaching the rank of political chief of staff of the New Fourth Army during World War II until his assassination by a member of his staff in 1941.- Biography :...
(项英): November 1928 (acting) - Xiang ZhongfaXiang ZhongfaXiang Zhongfa was one of the early senior leaders of the Communist Party of China .-Early life:Xiang was born in 1880 to a poor family living in Shanghai. He dropped out of elementary school to move with his parents to their ancestral home in Hubei...
(向忠发): February 1930 － August 1930 (leader of the Organization Department)- Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(周恩来): February 1930 － March 1930 (actual head of the Organization Department) - Li LisanLi LisanLǐ Lìsān was an early leader of the Chinese communists, and the top leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1928 to 1930, member of Polit Bureau, and later member of Central Committee.-Early years:...
(李立三): March 1930 － August 1930 (actual head of the Organization Department)
- Zhou Enlai
- Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(周恩来): September 1930 － January 1931 - Kang ShengKang ShengKang Sheng , Communist Party of China official, oversaw the work of the People's Republic of China's security and intelligence apparatus at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. He was a close associate of Mao Zedong and remained at or near the pinnacle of power for decades...
(康生): January 1931 － March 1931 - Li Zhusheng (李竹声): March 1931 － December 1931 (acting)
- Kang ShengKang ShengKang Sheng , Communist Party of China official, oversaw the work of the People's Republic of China's security and intelligence apparatus at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. He was a close associate of Mao Zedong and remained at or near the pinnacle of power for decades...
(康生): December 1931 － Late 1932 (head of the Organization Bureau) - Huang Li (黄励): 1932
- Kong Yuan (孔原): Late 1932 － January 1933 (head of the Organization Bureau)
- Ren BishiRen BishiRen Bishi was a rising figure in the Chinese Communist Party until his death at the age of 46. He was born in Hunan and was ranked 5th in the 7th Politburo of the Communist Party of China.-References:...
(任弼时): January 1933 － March 1933 - Li WeihanLi WeihanLi Weihan was a Chinese Communist politician who was the first principal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the highest training center for party workers and leaders. Li served as principal from 1933 to 1935 and again from 1937 to 1938.-External links:*...
(李维汉): March 1933 － November 1935 (head of the Organization Bureau) - Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
(周恩来): November 1935 － 1935 (leader of the Organization Bureau) - Li WeihanLi WeihanLi Weihan was a Chinese Communist politician who was the first principal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the highest training center for party workers and leaders. Li served as principal from 1933 to 1935 and again from 1937 to 1938.-External links:*...
(李维汉): 1935 － September 1936 (head of the Organization Department of the CPC Northwest Bureau) - Zhang WentianZhang WentianZhang Wentian . He is also known as Luo Fu . His names in Wade-Giles are Chang Wen-t'ien and Lo Fu.Born in Jiangsu, he attended engineering school in Nanjing and also spent a year at the University of California. He later joined the Communist Party and was sent to study at Sun Yat-sen University...
(张闻天): September 1936 － October 1936 (acting) - Guo Hongtao (郭洪涛): October 1936 － February 1937 (acting)
- Bo Gu (博古): February 1937 － December 1937
- Chen YunChen YunChen Yun was one of the most influential leaders of the People's Republic of China during the 1980s and 90s, and one of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China for almost its entire history. He was also known as Liao Chengyun ; it's unclear whether this was his original name or a pseudonym...
(陈云): December 1937 － March 1944 (incapacitated in March 1943) - Peng ZhenPeng ZhenPeng Zhen was a leading member of the Communist Party of China.-Biography:Born in Houma , Peng was originally named Fu Maogong....
(彭真): March 1944 － April 1953 (acting until August 1945) - Rao ShushiRao ShushiRao Shushi like his confederate Gao Gang, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of China , who once enjoyed great power and fame that then quickly evaporated, leaving behind many mysteries about his rise and fall.-Early years:...
(饶漱石): April 1953 － April 1954 - Deng XiaopingDeng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
(邓小平): April 1954 － November 1956 - An ZiwenAn ZiwenAn Ziwen , born as An Zhihan, was a Chinese politician and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He served as minister of the CPC Central Committee Organization Department, the Central People's Government Minister of Personnel, deputy secretary of the Central Discipline...
(安子文): November 1956 － August 1966 - Nie Jifeng (聂济峰): August 1966 － ? (leader of the Organization Department Working Group)
- Zhu Guang (朱光): ? － ? (leader of the Organization Department Working Group)
- Yang Shirong (杨世荣): ? － October 1967 (acting leader of the Organization Department as leader of the Special Investigation Group)
- Guo Yufeng (郭玉峰): October 1967 － August 1973 (leader of the Organization Department Working Group)
- Kang ShengKang ShengKang Sheng , Communist Party of China official, oversaw the work of the People's Republic of China's security and intelligence apparatus at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. He was a close associate of Mao Zedong and remained at or near the pinnacle of power for decades...
(康生): November 1970 － December 1975 (leader of the Central Organization and Propaganda Leading GroupCentral Organization and Propaganda Leading GroupThe Central Organization and Propaganda Leading Group was an agency under the Politburo of the Communist Party of China that existed during the Cultural Revolution....
)- Guo Yufeng (郭玉峰): August 1973 － June 1975 (leader of the Central Leading Group of the Organization Department)
- Guo Yufeng (郭玉峰): June 1975 － December 1977)
- Hu YaobangHu YaobangHu Yaobang was a leader of the People's Republic of China who served as both Chairman and Party General Secretary. Hu joined the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s, and rose to prominence as a comrade of Deng Xiaoping...
(胡耀邦): December 1977- December 1978 - Song RenqiongSong RenqiongSong Renqiong was a general in the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China .Song was born in Liuyang, Hunan Province....
(宋任穷): December 1978 － February 1983 - Qiao ShiQiao ShiQiao Shi is a politician in the People's Republic of China. He was born as Jiang Zhitong , to parents of Dinghai, Zhejiang province ancestry. He is said to be distantly related to Chiang Kai-shek's family and this was the cause for the persecution he suffered during the Cultural Revolution...
(乔石): April 1984 － July 1985 - Wei JianxingWei JianxingWei Jianxing is a former senior leader in the Communist Party of China, a standing committee member of politburo in CPC, the secretary of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, and the chairman of All-China Federation of Trade Unions.- Biography :Wei...
(尉健行): July 1985 － May 1987 - Song PingSong PingSong Ping was an official in the Communist Party of China, a former member of the Standing Committee, and is considered a member of the Second Generation of Chinese Leadership.-Biography:...
(宋平): May 1987 － December 1989 - Lü Feng (吕枫): December 1989 － October 1994
- Zhang Quanjing (张全景): October 1994 － March 1999
- Zeng QinghongZeng QinghongZeng Qinghong was the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2008. He became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee during the 2002 16th Party Congress. Although he was formally ranked fifth in the nine PSC...
(曾庆红): March 1999 － October 2002 - He GuoqiangHe GuoqiangHe Guoqiang is a high-ranking government official in the government of the People's Republic of China. Currently he is the eighth ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and the head of the new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection....
(贺国强): October 2002 － October 2007 - Li YuanchaoLi YuanchaoLi Yuanchao is a prominent politician in the People's Republic of China, serving on the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and as the head of its Organization Department. From 2002-2007 Li served as the Communist Party of China Secretary of Jiangsu, the first-in-charge of an area of...
(李源潮): October 2007 － incumbent