Democracy in China

Debate over democracy in China has existed in Chinese politics since the 19th century. The People's Republic of China (PRC) is not a democracy, being an authoritarian one-party state led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). All political opposition is illegal. Currently, there are eight minor political parties in China other than the CCP that are legal, but all have to accept CCP primacy to exist. China has been characterized as a dictatorship. Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are severely restricted by the government. Censorship in China is widespread and dissent is harshly punished in the country. Democracy movements in China have been repressed, most notably in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.