This panel organized by Dominik Mierzejewski explores the dynamics of governance and policy implementation in China, examining center-province relations under the Belt and Road Initiative, regional strategies for patriotic education, and the influence of Tuanpai within subnational party committees.
Dominik Mierzejewski
University of Lodz, Associate Professor
Title:
Quasi-Centralization of Local Interests and Centre-Province Relations under the Belt and Road Initiative “Umbrella"
Abstract:
This paper addresses the critical issue of the domestication of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Most analyses present the BRI as China's grand strategy, based on imperial approaches supported by the PRC government. This, however, is only part of the complex picture. From a domestic perspective, the BRI is illustrated by discussing central-local dyadic relations from a post-1978 viewpoint. In the first part, the author sheds light on central-provincial government relations by discussing the continuity of fragmentation in China and the horizontal relations between provinces. The second part delves into theoretical debates over China's decentralisation-centralisation cycles, emphasising the post-Tiananmen debates initiated by Wang Huning, Wang Shaoguang, and Hu Angang, known as the new-left movement, which has been further developed under Xi Jinping. The empirical part of the paper presents a case study of practical interactions between Sichuan province and Chongqing municipalities. The paper concludes that, while the central government has taken extra measures to integrate China's fragmented economy, the question of the future 'united market' remains unanswered. As argued in the paper, the international actorness of China’s provinces allows Beijing's government to quasi-centralize local players' interests and navigate their horizontal competition in more coordinated directions. However, the fully integrated direction is seen as a possible threat to the central government's paramount position.
Joanna Nawrotkiewicz
University of Warsaw, PhD Student
Title:
Patriotic Education Across China: Comparing Local Implementation Strategies
Abstract:
Patriotic education policies play a crucial role in maintaining stability in authoritarian regimes. In the PRC, the current version of ideological teachings emerged as a response to the Tian’anmen Square events in 1989; it is aimed at fostering pro-motherland sentiments among the younger generation and mitigating the influence of Western ideologies that could threaten the communist regime. The significance of these initiatives has been underscored by various policy frameworks, including the Outline for Implementing Patriotic Education in 1994, the Outline for Implementing Patriotic Education in the New Era in 2019, and the Patriotic Education Law in 2024.
Despite extensive literature on the subject, a significant gap remains in understanding the local implementation of patriotic education and its variance from national directives. To address this, the paper compares how three provinces — Guangdong, Heilongjiang and Jiangxi — interpret and enact central government guidelines on patriotic education. These provinces have been chosen based on their geographic, economic, historic, and cultural differences.
This comparative analysis focuses on the qualitative review of key policy documents issued by central and local authorities, as well as the quantitative assessment of memory sites designated as “patriotic education bases.” The author examined over 450 memory sites and conducted in-depth analyses in 20 of them during fieldwork in 2023. The content of these bases was categorized into six thematic areas: 1) external conflicts, 2) the history of the CCP until 1949, 3) socialist development and modernization, 4) national history excluding CCP events, 5) traditional cultural heritage, and 6) nature.
Findings highlight significant regional variations in the implementation of patriotic education. In Guangdong, the focus is on collectivism and socialist values, alongside an emphasis on Lingnan culture, influenced by, i.a., the province's proximity to Hong Kong and the need to strengthen national identity. In Jiangxi, there is a strong alignment with national directives, with local authorities leveraging the province's revolutionary history to promote "red tourism" as part of an economic development strategy. Heilongjiang's approach centers on themes of external conflict and socialist modernization, emphasizing national unity against external threats and integrating the region's development into broader national goals.
These findings underscore the complex relationship between central and local governments in China, showing how regional authorities adapt and reinterpret national patriotic education policies to suit regional contexts. Such adaptations not only modify the central government's vision of patriotism but also reveal potential areas of local resistance and innovation within the framework of ideological control. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of governance in authoritarian regimes, offering insights into how regional differences shape the implementation of national policies in China.
Adrian Brona
Jagiellonian University, Research and Teaching Assistant
Title:
The Prevalence of Tuanpai within Subnational Party Committees in China
Abstract:
This paper examines the political career progression within China, focusing on the representation of tuanpai, former members of the Communist Youth League (CYL), within the provincial-level party committees of the Chinese Communist Party. Using a comprehensive dataset of profiles from all 31 provincial-level units (provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities) selected during two seasons of provincial party congresses in 2016/2017 and 2021/2022 (n=6207), this study investigates the prevalence of former CYL members in these committees. Additionally, it explores the correlation between appointing former CYL members as provincial Party Secretaries and the broader representation of former CYL members within those provincial committees.
The analysis is conducted on three levels: 1) an overview of the population of all committees (“global approach”) 2) comparison of tuanpai prevalence across provincial-level committees (“provincial approach”) 3) examination of the provincial party standing committees, which include 10-14 most influential officials in each province (“core groups approach”).
This study aims to reveal changes in recruitment preferences for subnational political elites during Xi Jinping's administration and demonstrate the potential influence of CYL networks on power distribution at the provincial level after a decade of his leadership.
