Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a so-called symposium for non-party members, with leaders of the eight “democratic parties” in attendance. However, the top leaders of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, Haomingjin and Qin Boyong (female), were absent. Furthermore, both the chairperson Haomingjin and the executive vice chairperson Qin Boyong of the China Association for Promoting Democracy have gone into hiding for at least 40 days.
On December 3, the CCP authorities convened the symposium for non-party members in Zhongnanhai. According to official media reports, the leaders of the other seven democratic parties, such as Zheng Jianbang from the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, Ding Zhongli from the China Democratic League, Cai Dafeng from the China Democratic National Construction Association, He Wei from the China Association for Promoting Democracy, Jiang Zuojun from the China Zhi Gong Party, Wu Weihua from the China Association for Science and Technology, and Su Huifachair from the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, delivered speeches. However, it was the vice chairperson Sun Dongsheng, not the chairperson Haomingjin or the executive vice chairperson Qin Boyong, who spoke on behalf of the China Association for Promoting Democracy.
Since late October, both Haomingjin and Qin Boyong have been in hiding for at least 40 days.
The CCP refers to the “democratic parties” as the eight major democratic parties within China, including the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the China Democratic League, the China National Construction Association, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the China Agriculture Workers’ Democratic Party, the China Zhi Gong Party, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League. In reality, they are all considered “direct units” of the United Front Work Department of the CCP.
The CCP has always claimed that its leadership in the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system represents a so-called “new type of party system.” However, there have been comments from the outside world that these democratic parties are not even considered rubber stamps, at most just “window dressing.”
Out of the five larger parties among the eight “democratic parties,” the top leaders are arranged to hold positions within the CCP’s national leadership, such as the chairperson of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, Haomingjin being the vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the CCP, and the executive vice chairperson Qin Boyong being the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
At the age of 69, Haomingjin, previously served as the vice dean of the Law School at Shandong University, the vice president of the Higher People’s Court of Shandong Province, and the vice minister of the State Supervision Ministry of the CCP. In December 2017, he assumed the position of the chairperson of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and starting from 2018, he became the vice chairman of the National People’s Congress of the CCP.
At the age of 61, Qin Boyong, also coming from the political and legal system, previously served as the chairperson of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the vice governor of Hebei Province, the vice auditor general of the National Audit Office of the CCP, and later was promoted to the executive vice chairperson of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
On October 28, Li Ganjie, Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CCP, briefed non-party members on the “spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CCP.” The leaders of the seven democratic parties all attended the briefing, except for the leaders of the China Association for Promoting Democracy. On October 30, the China Association for Promoting Democracy held a symposium in Beijing, with vice chairperson Sun Dongsheng attending the meeting. Additionally, neither Haomingjin nor Qin Boyong attended meetings of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
However, on November 12, an economic situation analysis symposium was held by the China Association for Promoting Democracy in Beijing. The official website of the China Association for Promoting Democracy reported, “At the commission of Chairperson Haomingjin and Executive Vice Chairperson Qin Boyong, vice chairperson Sun Dongsheng presided over the meeting.”
Nevertheless, a commentator from the “Sing Tao Daily” pointed out that the prolonged “disappearance” of the top leaders of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, who hold official positions within the CCP, is indeed unusual.