“One Organization, Two Names”: Party-State Identities in China’s Political System

China owes much of its success in reform and economic development over the past 40 years to its effective system of public administration, which allowed it to take advantage of the favorable economic situation in the world that arose after the collapse of the bipolar system. Many of the unique features of China's party, state and public institutions were not studied in detail for a long time due to the belief that successful economic development in a market economy should have led China to Western-style democratization. However, China has not only preserved the originality of its political system, but also continues to improve it, following its own traditions of centralized state administration. One of them is the leading role of the CPC in the state administration of the country: the Communist Party completely permeates Chinese society, has its own cells and organizations at all levels of government and administration, which allows it to control the personnel, ideological propaganda and educational system of the country. The close connection between the party (CCP) and state apparatuses is ensured by the presence of special forms of their coexistence — the principles of “one organization, two signs” (一个机构两块牌子) and “organizational unification” (合署办公), thanks to which it is possible both to combine party and state identities within the framework of one organization, and to simultaneously combine party and state positions by one person.

PRC, CPC, party-state interaction, identity, “one organization, two signs”, “organizational association”