The Constitution of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党章程, dǎngzhāng) is the foundational rule-book of the CPC, distinct from and politically superior to the State Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1982). First adopted at the Second National Congress in 1922, it has been comprehensively rewritten across successive Party Congresses, with the operative version being that amended at the 20th National Congress in October 2022. Its General Programme enumerates the Party's "guides to action" — Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the "Three Represents" (Jiang Zemin), the Scientific Outlook on Development (Hu Jintao), and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, written into the document at the 19th Congress in 2017. The 2022 amendment entrenched the "Two Establishes" (确立) — affirming Xi's core position and the guiding role of his Thought — and the "Two Upholds," sharpening the requirement of loyalty to the central leadership.
Structurally, the Constitution opens with a lengthy General Programme stating ideology and historic mission, followed by articles regulating membership (admission requires an oath, two sponsoring members, and a probationary year), democratic centralism (民主集中制) as the cardinal organisational principle, the National Congress as the highest leading body, the Central Committee, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee, and the Central Military Commission. It also governs the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), primary Party organisations down to branches in workplaces, and Party discipline, rewards and penalties. The principle of democratic centralism subordinates the individual to the organisation, the minority to the majority, lower levels to higher levels, and the entire Party to the Central Committee — making it the doctrinal backbone of Leninist party discipline.
Because the CPC is the ruling vanguard party in a one-party state, its Constitution functions, in practice, as a parallel and prior constitutional order: Party leadership is itself enshrined in the State Constitution's Article 1 (as amended in 2018) which declares the leadership of the CPC "the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics." The 2018 state amendment also removed presidential term limits, aligning state office with Party authority. As of 2026 the Party's membership exceeds 98 million, and the document continues to bind every member, with the CCDI under Li Xi enforcing its disciplinary provisions through the supervisory system.
For the China Governance and Policy and China Political System papers, the CPC Constitution is tested as the entry point to understanding the fusion of Party and state. Typical examination angles ask candidates to distinguish the Party Constitution from the State Constitution, to explain democratic centralism, to trace how successive leaders' theories were incorporated into the General Programme, and to assess the significance of the "Two Establishes" and Xi Jinping Thought's 2017 inclusion. Comparative and international-relations papers (FSOT, UPSC GS-II/optional) may probe how this document operationalises the Party's leadership over the military, the judiciary and the state apparatus, illustrating the absence of separation of powers in the Chinese model.
Example
At its 20th National Congress in October 2022, the CPC amended its Constitution to entrench the "Two Establishes" affirming Xi Jinping's core leadership position, reinforcing his authority ahead of an unprecedented third term as General Secretary.
Frequently asked questions
The CPC Constitution is the Party's internal charter binding its members, while the State Constitution (1982) is the basic law of the PRC. In practice the Party document is politically prior, and the State Constitution's Article 1 affirms CPC leadership as the defining feature of Chinese socialism.