What kind of government does China actually have? It’s not an idle question. The country is governed by the Chinese Communist Party, but the constitution of the People’s Republic of China doesn’t actually mention The Party. And while the 1982 State Constitution–along with the laws passed by the National People’s Congress–is technically the highest authority in the land, many of the rights guaranteed in both Constitution and laws are subject to interpretation and policy, and are routinely ignored. In practice, The Party rules China because it controls the entire apparatus of power in China. There is no national legislative...
