Central Advisory Commission

Central Advisory Commission of the Chinese Communist Party
中国共产党中央顾问委员会
Information
ChairmanDeng Xiaoping
Chen Yun
Elected byCentral Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
SeatsBetween 172 and 200
Meeting place
Huairen Hall, Zhongnanhai
Beijing (Standing Committee)[1]
Central Advisory Commission
Simplified Chinese中央顾问委员会
Traditional Chinese中央顧問委員會
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōngyāng Gùwèn Wěiyuánhuì

The Central Advisory Commission (CAC) was a body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that existed during the era of the paramount leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The body was supposed to provide "political assistance and consultation" to the CCP Central Committee; however, as the CAC was a select group of senior CCP leadership, it was often seen as having more authority unofficially than that body.

History

The commission was established after the 12th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1982, and abolished in 1992. Its chairmen were Deng Xiaoping (1982–1987) and Chen Yun (1987–1992). Its membership was offered only to members of the Central Committee with forty years or more of service which made it an important forum for the Eight Elders to remain formally involved in politics.[2]: 142  Directors and deputy directors were required to have first served in the Politburo or Politburo Standing Committee. Despite being supposedly advisory its power surpassed that of the Politburo Standing Committee and was nicknamed the "Sitting Committee" on account of the advanced age of its members.[citation needed]

Commentary

According to Yasheng Huang, the CAC served as a restraint on the leadership at the time by the Eight Elders and was, as an institution, "best positioned to check and balance a future dictator."[2]: 120  Huang stated that its abolition paved the way for the rise of Xi Jinping.[2]: 142 

See also

References

  1. ^ Wang, Mei. "中央顧問委員會:特定歷史時期的獨特選擇". People's Daily. People's Network. Retrieved 16 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b c Huang, Yasheng (29 August 2023). The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline. Yale University Press. doi:10.2307/jj.5666732. ISBN 978-0-300-27491-2. JSTOR jj.5666732.