The Relationship Between Central and Local Governments Under the Unitary State System of China

Many countries in the world attach great attention to the relationship between central and local governments, which is also of great importance for China, a great country with over one billion population. The relationship between the central government and local governments is critical for the stability and prosperity of the country and attracts wide concerns from the political and academic fields. Overemphasis on the centralization of authority is not good for the fully play of enthusiasm of the local governments, whereas over-devolution of powers is not favorable for the stability and prosperity of the nation. Therefore, dealing with the relationship between the central government and local governments requires the balance — maintaining the authority of the central government and considering enthusiasm of the local governments at the same time. In this paper three aspects will be discussed about the relationship.