五、堅持走中國特色社會主義政治發展道路和推進政治體制改革

V. Keeping to the Socialist Path of Making Political Advance with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting Reform of the Political Structure

人民民主是我們黨始終高揚的光輝旗幟。改革開放以來，我們總結發展社會主義民主正反兩方面經驗，強調人民民主是社會主義的生命，堅持國家一切權力屬于人民，不斷推進政治體制改革，社會主義民主政治建設取得重大進展，成功開辟和堅持了中國特色社會主義政治發展道路，為實現最廣泛的人民民主確立了正確方向。

People's democracy is a brilliant banner that has always been held high by our Party. Since the policy of reform and opening up was introduced, we have reviewed our experience, both positive and negative, in developing socialist democracy and reaffirmed that people's democracy is the life of socialism. We have ensured that all power of the state belongs to the people and worked to steadily promote reform of the political structure. As a result, we have made major progress in developing socialist democracy and opened up and kept to the socialist path of making political advance with Chinese characteristics, thus charting the correct course for achieving the most extensive possible people's democracy in China.

政治體制改革是我國全面改革的重要組成部分。必須繼續積極穩妥推進政治體制改革，發展更加廣泛、更加充分、更加健全的人民民主。必須堅持黨的領導、人民當家作主、依法治國有機統一，以保證人民當家作主為根本，以增強黨和國家活力、調動人民積極性為目標，擴大社會主義民主，加快建設社會主義法治國家，發展社會主義政治文明。要更加注重改進黨的領導方式和執政方式，保證黨領導人民有效治理國家；更加注重健全民主制度、豐富民主形式，保證人民依法實行民主選舉、民主決策、民主管理、民主監督；更加注重發揮法治在國家治理和社會管理中的重要作用，維護國家法制統一、尊嚴、權威，保證人民依法享有廣泛權利和自由。要把制度建設擺在突出位置，充分發揮我國社會主義政治制度優越性，積極借鑒人類政治文明有益成果，絕不照搬西方政治制度模式。

The reform of the political structure is an important part of China's overall reform. We must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out the reform of the political structure, and make people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice. We must ensure the unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and law-based governance. To guarantee the fundamental position of the people as masters of the country and to reach the goal of enhancing the vitality of the Party and country and keeping the people fully motivated, we should expand socialist democracy, accelerate the building of a socialist country based on the rule of law, and promote socialist political progress. We should place greater emphasis on improving the way the Party exercises leadership and governance to ensure that it leads the people in effectively governing the country. We should attach greater importance to improving the system of democracy and diversifying the forms of democracy to ensure that the people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law. We should give greater scope to the important role the rule of law plays in the country's governance and in social management, uphold the unity, sanctity and authority of the country's legal system and ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law. We should place high importance on systemic building, give full play to the strength of the socialist political system and draw on the political achievements of other societies. However, we will never copy a Western political system.

（一）支持和保證人民通過人民代表大會行使國家權力。人民代表大會制度是保證人民當家作主的根本政治制度。要善于使黨的主張通過法定程序成為國家意志，支持人大及其常委會充分發揮國家權力機關作用，依法行使立法、監督、決定、任免等職權，加強立法工作組織協調，加強對“一府兩院”的監督，加強對政府全口徑預算決算的審查和監督。提高基層人大代表特別是一線工人、農民、知識分子代表比例，降低黨政領導干部代表比例。在人大設立代表聯絡機構，完善代表聯系群眾制度。健全國家權力機關組織制度，優化常委會、專委會組成人員知識和年齡結構，提高專職委員比例，增強依法履職能力。

1. Support and ensure the exercise of state power by the people through people's congresses

The system of people's congresses is China's fundamental political system for guaranteeing that the people decide their own destiny. We should make good use of legal procedures to turn the Party's propositions into the will of the state. We should support people's congresses and their standing committees in fully playing their role as organs of state power, in exercising legislative, oversight, policymaking, and personnel appointment and dismissal powers in accordance with the law, in strengthening organization and coordination of legislative work, in stepping up their oversight of people's governments, courts and procuratorates, and in tightening examination and oversight of all government budgets and final accounts. The proportion of community-level deputies to people's congresses, particularly those elected from among workers, farmers and intellectuals on the frontlines of various fields of endeavor should be raised, while that of deputies from among leading Party and government officials should be reduced. Deputy liaison offices should be established in people's congresses to improve the mechanism for deputies to maintain contact with the people. The organizational system for organs of state power should be improved. The age mix of the members of the standing committees and special committees of people's congresses should be improved and the areas of their expertise should be widened. The proportion of the full-time members of these committees should be raised. Deputies to people's congresses and members of these committees should enhance their capability to perform their duties pursuant to law.

（二）健全社會主義協商民主制度。社會主義協商民主是我國人民民主的重要形式。要完善協商民主制度和工作機制，推進協商民主廣泛、多層、制度化發展。通過國家政權機關、政協組織、黨派團體等渠道，就經濟社會發展重大問題和涉及群眾切身利益的實際問題廣泛協商，廣納群言、廣集民智，增進共識、增強合力。堅持和完善中國共產黨領導的多黨合作和政治協商制度，充分發揮人民政協作為協商民主重要渠道作用，圍繞團結和民主兩大主題，推進政治協商、民主監督、參政議政制度建設，更好協調關系、匯聚力量、建言獻策、服務大局。加強同民主黨派的政治協商。把政治協商納入決策程序，堅持協商于決策之前和決策之中，增強民主協商實效性。深入進行專題協商、對口協商、界別協商、提案辦理協商。積極開展基層民主協商。

2. Improve the system of socialist consultative democracy

Socialist consultative democracy is an important form of people's democracy in our country. We should improve its institutions and work mechanisms and promote its extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development. Extensive consultations should be carried out on major issues relating to economic and social development as well as specific problems involving the people's immediate interests through organs of state power, committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, political parties, people's organizations and other channels to solicit a wide range of opinions, pool wisdom of the people, increase consensus, and build up synergy. We should adhere to and improve the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and make the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference serve as a major channel for conducting consultative democracy. The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference should, focusing on the themes of unity and democracy, improve systems of political consultation, democratic oversight, and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs, and deliver a better job in coordinating relations, pooling strength and making proposals in the overall interests of the country. We should strengthen political consultation with the democratic parties, make political consultation a part of the policymaking process, conduct consultations before and when policy decisions are made, and make democratic consultation more effective. We should conduct intensive consultations on special issues with those who work on these issues, with representatives from all sectors of society, and with relevant government authorities on the handling of proposals. We should actively carry out democratic consultation at the community level.

（三）完善基層民主制度。在城鄉社區治理、基層公共事務和公益事業中實行群眾自我管理、自我服務、自我教育、自我監督，是人民依法直接行使民主權利的重要方式。要健全基層黨組織領導的充滿活力的基層群眾自治機制，以擴大有序參與、推進信息公開、加強議事協商、強化權力監督為重點，拓寬范圍和途徑，豐富內容和形式，保障人民享有更多更切實的民主權利。全心全意依靠工人階級，健全以職工代表大會為基本形式的企事業單位民主管理制度，保障職工參與管理和監督的民主權利。發揮基層各類組織協同作用，實現政府管理和基層民主有機結合。

3. Improve community-level democracy

An important way for the people to directly exercise their democratic rights in accordance with the law is for them to conduct self-management, self-service, self-education, and self-oversight in exercising urban and rural community governance, in managing community-level public affairs and in running public service programs. We should improve the mechanism for community-level self-governance under the leadership of community-level Party organizations to make it full of vitality. We should broaden the scope and channels of such self-governance and enrich its content and forms, with the focus on expanding orderly participation, promoting transparency in information, improving deliberation and consultation on public affairs, and strengthening oversight of the exercise of power, to ensure that the people have greater and more tangible democratic rights. We should rely wholeheartedly on the working class, improve the democratic management system in enterprises and public institutions with workers and employees' congress as its basic form, and protect workers and employees' democratic rights to participate in management and oversight. Community-level organizations of various types should also get involved to integrate government administration and community-level democracy.

（四）全面推進依法治國。法治是治國理政的基本方式。要推進科學立法、嚴格執法、公正司法、全民守法，堅持法律面前人人平等，保證有法必依、執法必嚴、違法必究。完善中國特色社會主義法律體系，加強重點領域立法，拓展人民有序參與立法途徑。推進依法行政，切實做到嚴格規范公正文明執法。進一步深化司法體制改革，堅持和完善中國特色社會主義司法制度，確保審判機關、檢察機關依法獨立公正行使審判權、檢察權。深入開展法制宣傳教育，弘揚社會主義法治精神，樹立社會主義法治理念，增強全社會學法尊法守法用法意識。提高領導干部運用法治思維和法治方式深化改革、推動發展、化解矛盾、維護穩定能力。黨領導人民制定憲法和法律，黨必須在憲法和法律范圍內活動。任何組織或者個人都不得有超越憲法和法律的特權，絕不允許以言代法、以權壓法、徇私枉法。

4. Promote law-based governance of the country in an all-around way

The rule of law is the basic way for running the country. We should make laws in a scientific way, enforce them strictly, administer justice impartially, and ensure that everyone abides by the law. We must make sure that all are equal before the law and that laws are observed and strictly enforced and lawbreakers are prosecuted. We should improve the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, strengthen legislation in key areas, and expand channels for people's orderly participation in the legislative process. We should exercise government administration in accordance with the law and ensure that law enforcement is conducted in a strict, fair, and civilized way according to due procedures. We should continue to deepen reform of the judicial structure, uphold and improve the socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics, and ensure that judicial and procuratorial bodies independently and impartially exercise their respective powers pursuant to law. We should carry out intensive publicity and education about the law, foster socialist spirit of the rule of law, and adopt the socialist concept of law-based governance. We should enhance the whole society's awareness of the need to study, respect, observe, and apply the law. We should ensure that leading officials are guided by law in both thinking and action in their effort to deepen reform, promote development, solve problems, and maintain stability. As the Constitution and laws are adopted by the Party and the people under its leadership, the Party must act within the scope prescribed by the Constitution and laws. No organization or individual has the privilege of overstepping the Constitution and laws, and no one in a position of power is allowed in any way to take one's own words as the law, place one's own authority above the law or abuse the law.

（五）深化行政體制改革。行政體制改革是推動上層建筑適應經濟基礎的必然要求。要按照建立中國特色社會主義行政體制目標，深入推進政企分開、政資分開、政事分開、政社分開，建設職能科學、結構優化、廉潔高效、人民滿意的服務型政府。深化行政審批制度改革，繼續簡政放權，推動政府職能向創造良好發展環境、提供優質公共服務、維護社會公平正義轉變。穩步推進大部門制改革，健全部門職責體系。優化行政層級和行政區劃設置，有條件的地方可探索省直接管理縣（市）改革，深化鄉鎮行政體制改革。創新行政管理方式，提高政府公信力和執行力，推進政府績效管理。嚴格控制機構編制，減少領導職數，降低行政成本。推進事業單位分類改革。完善體制改革協調機制，統籌規劃和協調重大改革。

5. Deepen reform of the administrative system

Reform of the administrative system is a necessary requirement for making the superstructure compatible with the economic base. To reach the goal of establishing a socialist administrative system with Chinese characteristics, we should separate government administration from the management of enterprises, state assets, public institutions, and social organizations, and build a well-structured, clean and efficient service-oriented government that has scientifically defined functions and satisfies the people. We should deepen the reform of the system concerning matters subject to government examination and approval, continue to streamline administration and delegate more power to lower levels, and make the government better perform its functions of creating a favorable environment for development, providing quality public services, and maintaining social fairness and justice. We should steadily advance the reform to establish larger government departments and improve division of functions among them. We should improve the structure of administrative setup and geographical administrative divisions, experiment with the reform to place counties and county-level cities directly under the jurisdiction of provincial governments where conditions permit, and deepen reform of the administrative system at the town and township level. We should exercise government administration in an innovative way, increase public trust in the government, and improve its competence so as to make the government performance-oriented. We should strictly control the size of government bodies, cut the numbers of their leading officials, and reduce their administrative costs. We should continue the reform of public institutions based on the classification of their functions. We should improve the mechanism for coordinating structural reforms and conduct major reforms in a holistic way according to the overall plan.

（六）健全權力運行制約和監督體系。堅持用制度管權管事管人，保障人民知情權、參與權、表達權、監督權，是權力正確運行的重要保證。要確保決策權、執行權、監督權既相互制約又相互協調，確保國家機關按照法定權限和程序行使權力。堅持科學決策、民主決策、依法決策，健全決策機制和程序，發揮思想庫作用，建立健全決策問責和糾錯制度。凡是涉及群眾切身利益的決策都要充分聽取群眾意見，凡是損害群眾利益的做法都要堅決防止和糾正。推進權力運行公開化、規范化，完善黨務公開、政務公開、司法公開和各領域辦事公開制度，健全質詢、問責、經濟責任審計、引咎辭職、罷免等制度，加強黨內監督、民主監督、法律監督、輿論監督，讓人民監督權力，讓權力在陽光下運行。

6. Improve the mechanism for conducting checks and oversight over the exercise of power

To ensure proper exercise of power, it is important to put power, Party and government operations and personnel management under institutional checks and uphold people's right to stay informed about, participate in, express views on, and oversee Party and government operations. We should make sure that decision-making, executive and oversight powers check each other and function in concert and that government bodies exercise their powers in accordance with statutory mandate and procedures. We should continue to conduct scientific, democratic, and law-based policymaking, improve decision-making mechanisms and procedures, seek advice of think tanks, and establish sound mechanisms for decision-making accountability and remedy. Whenever we make a decision involving the immediate interests of the people, we must solicit their views on it. We must not do anything that may harm the interests of the people and must correct any action that causes damage to their interests. We should make the exercise of power more open and standardized, and increase transparency of Party, government and judicial operations and official operations in other fields. We should improve the systems of inquiry, accountability, economic responsibility auditing, resignation and dismissal. We should tighten intra-Party, democratic and legal oversight as well as oversight through public opinion to ensure that the people oversee the exercise of power and that power is exercised in a transparent manner.

（七）鞏固和發展最廣泛的愛國統一戰線。統一戰線是凝聚各方面力量，促進政黨關系、民族關系、宗教關系、階層關系、海內外同胞關系的和諧，奪取中國特色社會主義新勝利的重要法寶。要高舉愛國主義、社會主義旗幟，鞏固統一戰線的思想政治基礎，正確處理一致性和多樣性的關系。堅持長期共存、互相監督、肝膽相照、榮辱與共的方針，加強同民主黨派和無黨派人士團結合作，促進思想上同心同德、目標上同心同向、行動上同心同行，加強黨外代表人士隊伍建設，選拔和推薦更多優秀黨外人士擔任各級國家機關領導職務。全面正確貫徹落實黨的民族政策，堅持和完善民族區域自治制度，牢牢把握各民族共同團結奮斗、共同繁榮發展的主題，深入開展民族團結進步教育，加快民族地區發展，保障少數民族合法權益，鞏固和發展平等團結互助和諧的社會主義民族關系，促進各民族和睦相處、和衷共濟、和諧發展。全面貫徹黨的宗教工作基本方針，發揮宗教界人士和信教群眾在促進經濟社會發展中的積極作用。鼓勵和引導新的社會階層人士為中國特色社會主義事業作出更大貢獻。落實黨的僑務政策，支持海外僑胞、歸僑僑眷關心和參與祖國現代化建設與和平統一大業。

7. Consolidate and develop the broadest possible patriotic united front

The united front is a powerful instrument for winning new victory for socialism with Chinese characteristics by pooling the strength of all quarters and harmonizing relations between political parties, ethnic groups, religions, social groups and compatriots at home and overseas. We should hold high the banner of patriotism and socialism, consolidate the theoretical and political foundation of the united front, and strike a balance between commonality and diversity. Guided by the principle of long-term coexistence, mutual oversight, treating each other with sincerity and sharing of both good and bad times, we should strengthen unity and cooperation with the democratic parties and public figures without party affiliation, pursue the common goal with unity in thought and action, strengthen the ranks of non-Party representative figures and select and recommend more outstanding individuals with no Party affiliation for taking up leading positions in government bodies at all levels. We should fully and faithfully implement the Party's policies concerning ethnic groups and uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy. We should, keeping to the goal of all ethnic groups working together for common prosperity and development, conduct intensive education about ethnic unity and progress, speed up development of ethnic minority areas, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities. We should consolidate and develop socialist ethnic relations of equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony so that all ethnic groups in China will live and develop together in harmony. We should comprehensively implement the Party's basic policy on religion and fully leverage the positive role of religious figures and believers in promoting economic and social development. We should encourage and guide members of new social groups to contribute more to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We should continue to implement the Party's policy on overseas Chinese affairs and support overseas Chinese, returned overseas Chinese and their families in endorsing and participating in China's modernization endeavors and its great cause of peaceful reunification.

中國特色社會主義政治發展道路是團結億萬人民共同奮斗的正確道路。我們一定要堅定不移沿著這條道路前進，使我國社會主義民主政治展現出更加旺盛的生命力。

The socialist path of making political advance with Chinese characteristics is a correct path that rallies people in their hundreds of millions in pursuing a common cause. We must advance unwaveringly along this path to ensure that China's socialist democracy has ever greater vitality.