The People's Republic of China is a one-party state ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Currently, both Hong Kong and Macau possess multi-party systems that were introduced just before the handover of the territories to China.
[3] While only the CCP holds effective power at the national level, there are officially eight minor and non-oppositional parties that exist alongside the CCP that are officially titled "democratic parties" (Chinese: 民主党派; pinyin: Mínzhǔ dǎngpài).
[5] Founded before the proclamation of the People's Republic of China, these parties must accept the "leading role" of the CCP as a condition of their continued existence.
[6] The relationship between these parties and the CCP has officially been described as "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision, treating each other with full sincerity and sharing weal or woe" (prosperity or adversity) [7] According to Human Rights Watch, these parties "play an advisory rather than an oppositional role".