what form of government exists in china?
Single-party state Communist state Socialist state
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 China 's constitution declares that the country is ruled " under the leadership " of the Communist Party of China ( CPC ) . The electoral system is pyramidal . Local People 's Congresses are directly elected , and higher levels of People 's Congresses up to the National People 's Congress ( NPC ) are indirectly elected by the People 's Congress of the level immediately below . The political system is decentralized , and provincial and sub @-@ provincial leaders have a significant amount of autonomy . Other political parties , referred to as democratic parties , have representatives in the National People 's Congress and the Chinese People 's Political Consultative Conference ( CPPCC ) . 

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 China 's constitution states that The People 's Republic of China " is a socialist state under the people 's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants , " and that the state organs " apply the principle of democratic centralism . " The PRC is one of the world 's few remaining socialist states openly endorsing communism ( see Ideology of the Communist Party of China ) . The Chinese government has been variously described as communist and socialist , but also as authoritarian and corporatist , with heavy restrictions in many areas , most notably against free access to the Internet , freedom of the press , freedom of assembly , the right to have children , free formation of social organizations and freedom of religion . Its current political , ideological and economic system has been termed by its leaders as the " people 's democratic dictatorship " , " socialism with Chinese characteristics " ( which is Marxism adapted to Chinese circumstances ) and the " socialist market economy " respectively . 

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 There have been some moves toward political liberalization , in that open contested elections are now held at the village and town levels . However , the Party retains effective control over government appointments : in the absence of meaningful opposition , the CPC wins by default most of the time . Political concerns in China include the growing gap between rich and poor and government corruption . Nonetheless , the level of public support for the government and its management of the nation is high , with 80 – 95 % of Chinese citizens expressing satisfaction with the central government , according to a 2011 survey . 

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 China , officially the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) , in Asia , is the world 's most populous state , with a population of over 1 @.@ 381 billion . The state is governed by its vanguard party based in the capital of Beijing . It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces , five autonomous regions , four direct @-@ controlled municipalities ( Beijing , Tianjin , Shanghai , and Chongqing ) , two mostly self @-@ governing special administrative regions ( Hong Kong and Macau ) , and claims sovereignty over Taiwan . China is a great power and a major regional power within Asia , and has been characterized as a potential superpower . 

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 The government of the People 's Republic of China is officially atheist . Religious affairs and issues in the country are overseen by the State Administration for Religious Affairs . A 2015 poll conducted by Gallup International found that 61 % of Chinese people self @-@ identified as " convinced atheist . " Scholars have noted that in China there is no clear boundary between religions , especially Buddhism , Taoism and local folk religious practice . According to the most recent demographic analyses , an average 30 — 80 % of the Chinese population practice some form of Chinese folk religions and Taoism . Approximately 10 — 16 % are Buddhists , 2 — 4 % are Christians , and 1 — 2 % are Muslims . In addition to Han people 's local religious practices , there are also various ethnic minority groups in China who maintain their traditional autochthone religions . Various sects of indigenous origin comprise 2 — 3 % of the population , while Confucianism as a religious self @-@ designation is popular among intellectuals . Significant faiths specifically connected to certain ethnic groups include Tibetan Buddhism and the Islamic religion of the Hui and Uyghur peoples . 
