The Collective Handover Procedure

What I term the “collective handover procedure” refers to the turnover of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the selection, vetting, and confirmation of the new group leadership. As such, it stands in contrast to the leadership being passed on to some nominated individual successor. This collective handover procedure is an institutional arrangement, whereby governance of the CPC and state power are smoothly transferred from one collective leadership group to their successors. This arrangement is thus markedly different from the feudalistic approach that existed in the Mao Zedong era, in which an individual leader possessing supreme power was able to designate his successor. At the heart of the collective handover procedure is risk diversification in the transfer of power. The system requires that any CPC member aspiring to rise to the collective leadership must first gain experience as provincial secretary or leader. They then need to serve as assistants to members of the collective leadership, receiving in the process the pertinent training and skills. Only after they have demonstrated expertise in this capacity can they themselves be considered possible members of the leadership. This process is a vital institutional guarantee for ensuring a smooth transfer of power. It also guarantees the continuity of a stable collective presidency characterizing the leadership of the party and state power in China. The collective handover is thus achieved through standardized, institutionalized procedures by which the old leadership is changed for the new.