观察家 | 从人民政协看中国全过程人民民主

I'm Robert Lawrence Kuhn and here's what I'm watching: how the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the CPPCC, works as an essential advisory body at each level of China's political system and thus reflects China's commitment to enhance its form of democracy, which China calls "Whole-Process People's Democracy." 

我是罗伯特·劳伦斯·库恩 以下是我正在关注的,中国人民政治协商会议,简称人民政协。作为中国政治体制内各层级的重要决策咨询机构，如何体现中国丰富民主形式的决心。中国的民主称为“全过程人民民主”。 

The CPPCC is not a body of state power at the national level nor of government power at the local level; it is rather a platform on which all sectors of society participate in state and local affairs; this includes political parties, organizations, ethnic groups, and professional fields (such as science, education, healthcare, the military, and culture). In practice, CPPCC members serve as advisers for the government and legislative and judicial organs, and offer proposals on political, social and technical issues — all under Party leadership at each level, of course.

全国政协既不是国家权力机关，也不是地方上的政府权力机构，而是一个社会各界参与国家和地方事务的平台，由各党派、人民团体、各少数民族代表和各界代表（如科学技术界、教育界、医药卫生界、军队以及文化界）组成。在实践中，政协委员就如政府立法和司法机关的顾问，就政治、社会和科技等事务提出建议，这都需要在中国共产党的领导下进行。

The CPPCC reflects distinctive features of China's political system, which they call "China's socialist democracy." Members work through plenary sessions, standing committees, special committees, and they conduct inspections and field surveys, make proposals, and file reports on a regular basis. 

人民政协反映了中国政治体制的鲜明特点，即“中国的社会主义民主”。政协委员通过全体会议、常务委员会、专门委员会开展工作。他们定期开展考察和调研，提交建议，撰写报告。

CPPCC members are experts and leaders in their specialized fields, with professional backgrounds and long-term experience. For example, in science and technology, CPPCC members are top scientists and science administrators. Their research and reports, after higher-level evaluation, are sent as official CPPCC communications to the heads of relevant bodies or authorities. Thus, the CPPCC can transform expert opinion into actionable proposals. 

政协委员是各自专业领域的专家和领导，有专业背景和长期经验。比如，在科技领域，政协委员中有顶尖科学家和科学界的管理者。他们的研究和报告经上级评估后，会以人民政协名义正式发文至相关机构或部门负责人。因此，人民政协可以将专家意见转化为可操作的提案。

The CPPCC system is under-appreciated in the West and sometimes even in China. Because it has no de jure legislative power and can only "consult" or "advise," the CPPCC may seem without power. But this is not so. Because many CPPCC members are leaders in their fields, and when they offer advice, government officials had better pay attention and take it seriously. Woe unto those who do not! Officials are sandwiched, as it were, between China's leaders above and the public below, both of whom are watching to see how officials respond to CPPCC advice.

西方，甚至有时在中国，政协制度的作用都被低估了，因为它没有法律上的立法权，只能“协商”或“建议”。人民政协可能看起来没有权力，但事实并非如此，因为许多政协委员是各自领域的佼佼者，当他们提出建议时，政府官员最好予以重视并认真对待，否则倒霉的可能就是他们自己。官员们被夹在中国的领导层和老百姓中间，上下都在盯着他们，看他们如何回应政协委员们的建议。

The CPPCC has more than 3,200 organizations at four administrative levels: national, provincial, municipal, and county, with more than 600,000 CPPCC members. The CPPCC holds briefing sessions, reflecting, they say, both the public's right to know and the public's responsibility to oversee.

人民政协有3200多个组织，设有四个层级的（委员会），分别是全国、省、市、 县，各级政协委员累计超过60万人。政协召开情况通报会，被评价为既体现了公众的知情权，也体现了公众的监督责任。

As originally conceived, the CPPCC has two overarching functions: unity and democracy, the former bringing together all parties, groups, ethnicities, and sectors. Officials speak of the CPPCC's "fine tradition of 'unity-criticism-unity'." While unity is usually a high good, in today's complex society, unity too soon can suppress democracy by stifling or squeezing off differing views. The whole point of consultative democracy is to present and assess differing views — immediate unity would make consultation redundant.

按最初设想，政协有两大主要职能：团结和民主。前者将所有党派、团体、各民族和界别团结起来。谈到人民政协时，会说到它“团结——批评——团结”的优良传统，虽然通常来讲团结是一件好事，但在今天这个复杂的社会中，太早团结会因为压制或排挤不同意见而显得压制了民主，协商民主的全部意义就在于提出和评估不同的意见，过快统一会使协商显得多余。

China insists on "consolidating the common ideological and political foundation" — in essence the leadership of the CPC, the Party — while "giving full play to democracy and tolerating differences." Credit the CPPCC for optimizing various kinds of diversity, including diverse views on policies — the operative phrase being "seeking common ground while reserving differences." In complex society, however, the line separating unity and democracy can be fuzzy.

中国坚持“夯实共同思想政治基础”，实质上就是坚持中国共产党的领导，同时“充分发扬民主，尊重包容差异”。人民政协制度让多样性发挥到极致，包括对政策的不同看法。其行动指南就是，“求同存异”。在复杂的社会中，团结和民主之间的界限可能是模糊的。

As the CPPCC facilitates China's developing democracy, and as Chinese society becomes more complex, perhaps a little less initial unity and a little more tolerated diversity may be needed.

在人民政协制度促进中国民主发展的过程中，随着中国社会日益复杂，也许在最开始需要少一点团结，多一点对多样性的包容。

I'm keeping watch. I'm Robert Lawrence Kuhn.

我在持续观察。我是罗伯特·劳伦斯·库恩。

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