The Chinese regime’s constitution is vague and arbitrarily enforced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), just as Xi Jinping prefers.
Is a constitution for a communist-run state an oxymoron? After all, what are the commonly understood characteristics, definition, and purpose of a constitution? Is a constitution a document that delineates the carefully crafted power-sharing in a given society and its government that is directly accountable to the “will of the people”—as is the case in most truly democratic countries? Or is a constitution merely a top-down series of regulations imposed by the Communist Party that represents the will of that party only without any accountability at all to the people—as it is in communist China? And what is the difference between swearing oaths of allegiance to either kind?
A few days ago, the state-run Chinese press bleated out an appalling propaganda article that focused on Xi’s sworn public oath to the regime’s constitution.
Gag me with a maggot! The Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other persecuted minorities and dissidents were undoubtedly super-impressed by the “paramount leader’s” loyalty pledge to a document that has directly led to the genocide of their own people. It also makes one wonder how many average Chinese support the CCP’s constitution—or even know that such document exists. Certainly not many people outside the CCP itself—for which the document provides special benefits.
- Constitutions address the rights of citizens. Article 33 of the Chinese constitution states: “All citizens of the People’s Republic of China are equal before the law.” Two points can immediately be made. First, when the law is arbitrarily changed by the CCP, what does equality really mean? Second, what might Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai think about “equal before the law” in view of the CCP’s actions after she accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier, of sexual harassment?
- Constitutions are based on widespread public legitimacy. The PRC was not established through a peaceful and democratic political process, but rather by the rifles and bayonets of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 1949. There has never been a free, open, and fair democratic election conducted in communist China since then. Polling is unreliable in China, as various incentives exist for people to report positively about the CCP, whether truthful or not. Why risk government persecution? No communist state in world history has been supported by the majority of its citizens; why should the Chinese be any different in that regard?
- Constitutions meet the internationally recognized criteria for a democratic system in terms of representation and human rights. The PRC has been condemned for human rights violations from its inception: the brutality of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution; the Tibetan genocide; the Uyghur genocide; ongoing religious suppression; the absence of free political speech. The list goes on.
Deciphering China’s Constitution
The Chinese constitution is a model of vagueness and unspecificity. The English novelist and essayist George Orwell might even have considered the CCP guilty of plagiarizing “Animal Farm” or “1984” by incorporating some of his dystopian totalitarian concepts. Citizens’ rights are commingled with their obligations to the state. What is stated frequently means exactly the opposite. The state controls everything: property, the economy, education, natural resources, the public “means of production,” and even the very thoughts and expressions of the people themselves (in the interests of the state as arbitrarily defined by the CCP, that is).Article 3: “The state institutions of the People’s Republic of China shall practice the principle of democratic centralism.”
The reality: “Democratic centralism” is a Marxist euphemism used to provide a veneer of democracy to mask the raw exercise of power by the CCP in deciding and implementing policies at all levels of government. The phrase means toleration of “democratic discussions” at lower levels of government, but ultimately acquiescence in all matters to the decisions made by the central state.The reality: The lawful rights and interests of ethnic minorities are what the CCP says they are, which can change arbitrarily, as the Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others have found out to their detriment over the years.
The reality: The CCP writes, defines, and changes all laws without democratic input from the people. The socialist legal system is focused on maintaining the CCP’s tight control on political power while suppressing all dissension. “Privileges”—and basic rights—are only those that are granted by the PRC’s constitution and Chinese law. There are no basic human rights in China.
The reality: This statement is a contradiction in terms, as “socialism” and “capitalism” are entirely different economic systems with decidedly different motivating factors—CCP bureaucratic whim versus the invisible hand of the market.
The reality: There is no permitted free expression in any of the above activities beyond that allowed by the CCP. Period.
The reality: All dissent is harshly crushed by the state whenever the state deems it necessary to preserve and maintain its power, with criminal activities defined as necessary for each situation at hand.
The reality: The CCP did a decent job in copying the U.S. First Amendment in shorthand form, but it doesn’t live up to the fine words—as the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre and Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, and supporters of the Dalai Lama will attest. The article neglected to include this key silent provision: “subject to the permissions granted by the CCP.”
The reality: Arbitrary arrest and confinement subject to the whims of the CCP is the real “rule of law” in the PRC. Millions of Chinese and ethnic and religious minorities—including Falun Gong adherents—can attest to this.
The reality: All private correspondence of Chinese citizens is subject to monitoring by the state—at any time and for any reason.
The constitutional articles go on ad nauseam. If there was a constitution written for the totalitarian state described in Orwell’s “1984,” then this is it. No wonder Xi enthusiastically pledged his allegiance to it!
- “The CCP leads the people in formulating and enforcing the Constitution and the law.” In reality, only the CCP defines, changes, and enforces the Constitution and law—and only on its terms, not for the benefit of the people.
- “The Party itself must conduct activities within the boundaries of the Constitution.” Example needed, please! Besides, the boundaries of the Constitution are expanded whenever necessary by the CCP to justify its actions (and aggression).
- “No person, organization, or state organ can be placed above the Constitution or the law.” Then we should expect a public trial of former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli over a sexual assault allegation sometime soon.
- “Any breach of the Constitution and the law must be held accountable.” Is Xi hinting at applying the National Security Law to overseas Chinese?
- “China has increased constitutional compliance inspection.” This is real news! When and how has this been done? What does constitutional compliance—with the omnipresent “Chinese characteristics”—really mean?
- More/all Chinese “need to become loyal advocates, conscientious observers, and resolute defenders of socialist rule of law.” How much does the job pay because the average Chinese cannot be bothered to waste time on this proposition?
Conclusion
Millions of American public office holders, military personnel, and others have been swearing oaths of allegiance to “defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” for decades. Those oath keepers all know the purpose and meaning of their oaths, as the U.S. Constitution was democratically developed, and its provisions clearly defined by the Founders in the document itself, as well as in detailed contemporary sources such as “The Federalist Papers.”On the other hand, those who would swear oaths of allegiance to the PRC’s constitution are in reality swearing allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, which arbitrarily controls the definitions in that constitution, as well as Chinese society itself.
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