Is China A Democracy

1
Is China A Democracy?
2
Background Information

• China has the largest population in the world
  (over 1 billion)
• Fastest growing economy in the world
• The only major country in the world with a
  communist system of government

3
What is a Democracy?

• Democracy (literally "rule by the people", from
  the Greek demos, "people", and kratos, "rule") is
  a form of government.
• democracy refers to a system of government which
  derives its power from the consent of the
  majority and governs according to the will of the
  majority.
• The practice of the principle of equality of
  rights, opportunity, and treatment.

4
What is Communism

• Definitions of Communism
• An economic system in which capital is owned by
  private government. Contrasts with capitalism.
• A political ideology (set of ideas about how
  government should be organised)
• the political, social, and economic system of
  certain countries in which the state, governed by
  a single party without formal opposition, owns
  all property. control the production and
  distribution of goods and services, and, to a
  great extent, control the social and cultural
  life of the people.

5
Religion

• There are Five Religions in China that are
  legal,Buddhism,Taoism,Christianity,Islam and
  Confucianism.
• If you live in china these are the only religions
  you may practice without getting into trouble

6
Religion

• All religions are controlled by the Communist
  party of china (CPC),in china the CPC are the
  only thing you should worship e.g Chinese
  Catholics do not recognise the pope as the head
  of the church the see the CPC as the head of the
  church and for Buddhists it is illegal for them
  to carry around a picture of the Dali Lamma

7
Opposition elections

• In china there are local level elections where
  people can vote for someone to represent them.
• The candidates are allowed to campaign and get
  people to vote for them.
• The CPC allow there to be eight legal opposition
  parties.

8
Opposition elections

• However china is a one party state which means
  that there is no real opposition and therefore
  the CPC cannot be overthrown.
• The eight legal opposition parties generally
  have the same views so there is not much
  criticism of the state.
• Anyone who wants to become a candidate at local
  level have to be accepted by the CPC so anyone
  who is strongly against the CPC will not be
  allowed to run for candidate.

9
Media

• The media is becoming more democratic because,
  there are now more independently owned media.
• People are now able to criticise the CPC more
  e.g. magazines and papers have criticised the
  government on the environment and corruption.
  

10
Media

• However, the media is still highly regulated, any
  serious anti-state attitude will be punished.
• The Chinese government have made the internet
  extremely restricted an example on this is in
  2006 the government brought out a censored
  Google.

11
http//www.chinatoday.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
useful sites
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/asia_pacific/2004/chi
na/default.stm