Professor and Chair of Politics and Government T.Y. Wang presented “How is China Ruled? Understanding China’s Political System” at the International Studies Seminar Series on September 4, 2019, hosted by ISU Office of International Studies and Programs.
Wang provided an analysis of the way political power is exercised in China. In general, the Chinese Communist Party and the government have a basic organizational structure. That is, a large congress will elect a smaller committee, with an even smaller committee that brings together the top few people. In theory, the larger the body, the more powerful it is. In reality, the opposite is true.
Wang also explained the institutional arrangements of Hong Kong after the handover of the city to China in 1997. The grass-root demonstrations in recent years reflect Hong Kong people’s desire for democracy and freedom and represent the fundamental challenges to Beijing’s unification plan known as “one country, two systems.”
