Phoenix TV:  

The CPC puts forward the Party leadership over all work and stresses that "the Party exercises overall leadership over all areas of endeavor across the country and is the highest force for political leadership." How should we understand such leadership? Some people abroad call it a one-party dictatorship. What's your take on this? Thank you.  

Wang Xiaohui:  

This has been clarified in the third chapter of the publication. I also heard hyping from some foreign countries, and I'd like to take this opportunity to emphasize a few points.  

First, the leadership of the Party is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and constitutes the greatest strength of this system. This leadership position is not self-appointed. Instead, it's determined by the nature and purpose of the Party, it's the choice of history and the people, and it has been written into the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. History and practice have proved that the Party's leadership is the foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country and the crux upon which the interests and wellbeing of all Chinese people depend.  

Second, Party leadership over all work means that the leadership must be comprehensive, systematic, and holistic. Party leadership must be upheld in all work areas of the Party and the country, including reform, development, and maintaining stability, as well as the country's internal affairs, national defense and diplomacy, and governance over the Party, the country, and the armed forces. The leadership must be upheld in all sectors and in every part of the country. This is what we mean by upholding the party's leadership over all work.  

Third, regarding strengthening the Party's overall leadership, we are not only committed to upholding the Party's leadership and its position as the governing party, we are also working to form a new type of political party relations featuring cooperation, unity, and harmony. China adopts the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, which is a great creation of China's political system and a new type of political party system that was born in China. Under this system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, we have developed a political pattern featuring "the CPC's leadership in governing the country with cooperation from and participation of all the other parties," realizing the organic unity of governance and participation, leadership and cooperation, and consultation and supervision.  

Fourth, strengthening the Party's leadership in all respects is based on upholding democratic centralism. Democratic centralism is our Party's fundamental organizational principle and fundamental leadership system. The system combines centralization on the basis of democracy with democracy under centralized guidance. This not only ensures that the wishes of Party members and Party organizations are fully expressed and their enthusiasm and creativity can be effectively brought into play, but also ensures the cohesion of the wisdom and strength of the whole Party and consistency of action.

Fifth, to strengthen the Party's overall leadership, we should achieve the organic unity of the Party's leadership, the people's ownership of the country and the rule of law. We should adhere to the rule of law and the rule of law under the leadership of the Party. At the same time, the Party is required to carry out its activities within the scope of the Constitution and laws. All Party and government organs, various social organizations and every citizen must obey and abide by the Constitution and laws. In particular, Party members and officials must be models of respecting, learning, abiding by and using the law.

Sixth, strengthening the Party's overall leadership does not mean that the Party should assume responsibility for everything, but rather that the Party exercises overall leadership and coordinates the efforts of all parties. By improving the Party's overall leadership system and the national governance system, we have improved the Party's level of scientific, democratic and law-based governance, and implemented the Party's leadership in all aspects, fields and links of national governance in an institutionalized and standardized manner, so as to form a situation where all areas of endeavor not only perform their respective duties and responsibilities, but also cooperate with each other and display their own strengths.

In my opinion, these points show that this is totally different from the so-called "one party dictatorship." Thank you.

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