The Party is the leader of everything.
‘Government, military, society and schools, north, south, east and west, The Party is the leader of everything’. President Xi in his speech delivered at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 18, 2017
Without exaggeration, the China Communist Party (CCP), which will further be referred to as The Party, is the most powerful political organization in the world. Almost 90 million people, or roughly 1 out of each 15 Chinese, are member of The Party. On top of that, The Party also has a Youth League for people between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight of about the same size of almost 90 million members.
The Party’s reaches out to beyond the public sector. The Party has a firm grip on the appointment of top business executives such as the chairs of State-Owned Enterprises, including the major banks; some CEO’s and board members of private multinationals; media leaders; university presidents; senior officials of regulatory bodies such as the People’s Bank of China and the National Securities Office; government agencies such as the one leading the Confucius Institutes all over the world; chief scientists; heads of major national engineering projects; members in the judicial courts; and leaders of associations such as the employers’ organization The All-China Federation for Industry and Commerce.
Jack Ma of Alibaba is a Party member. Other famous Chinese billionaires, like real estate tycoon Xu Jiayin and Wanda Group owner Wang Jianlin, are also member of The Party. Tencent CEO and Chairman Ma Huateng (often called ‘Pony Ma’) Ma Huateng was a delegate at China’s National People’s Congress though, which gives him access to senior government officials even though he is not a Party member. Baidu’s Robin Li ia not a member.
Nowadays it is
neither uncommon
to read in job postings
of Chinese private firms:
‘Preference will be
given to candidates,
who are Party members or
have a strong
political sensitivity’.
