(According to Xinhua News Agency) The Information Office of the State Council of China issued here Thursday the country's first ever white paper on its political party system, which explains in detail the formation, main characteristics, basic contents and development of the system and its important role in China's economic and social development.

    "The political party system China has adopted is multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," says the white paper titled China's Political Party System.

    The paper says China's multi-party cooperation system has undergone a glorious history of 58 years. As a basic political system of China, it has been proved through practice to be inevitable, innovative and superior.

    The formation and development of China's multi-party cooperation system was a logical choice of its modern and contemporary history, a product of the combination of Marxism-Leninism with China's own situation, and a crystallization of the wisdom of the CPC and other democratic parties, the paper says.

    The system is well suited to China's conditions, the reality of China's revolution, construction and reform, and the essential demands of socialist democracy, it says.

    It reflects the fine cultural tradition of the Chinese nation, which features all-embracing and harmony while reserving differences, the white paper says.

    As one of China's fundamental political system, the paper says, the multi-party cooperation system identifies the status and functions of the CPC and the eight other political parties in the political life of the state, and the relations between the parties.

    According to the white paper, the multi-party cooperation system has created a new form of political party system in the world, a unique system by itself.

    Under this system, the white paper explains, the CPC and the democratic parties work closely together and supervise each other, instead of opposing each other, with the CPC ruling the country and the democratic parties participating in state affairs according to law, instead of ruling the country in turn.

    The white paper says the value and functions of China's multi-party cooperation system are manifested as political participation, expression of interests, social integration, democratic supervision and maintenance of stability.

    After many years of practice, the white paper says, two basic modes of political consultation in the multi-party cooperation system have been formed: the CPC's consultation with democratic parties, and the CPC's consultation with democratic parties and representatives from all circles at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

    In exercising state power, the CPC unites and cooperates with all the democratic parties and encourages them to play their functions by participating in and discussing government and political affairs and in democratic supervision, so as to improve the building of state power, the white paper says.

    Members of democratic parties are important constituent parts of the CPPCC, it says.

    In the composition of the CPPCC, they form a relatively large percentage of members, standing committee members and leaders. They also make up a considerable proportion of the CPPCC's special committee members and leaders, including in the CPPCC working organs.

    All democratic parties persevere in promoting development as the first priority, the white paper says.

    Focusing on the country's central work, the white paper says, they have earnestly performed the functions of participating in and deliberating on state affairs and exercising democratic supervision, actively promoting the development of socialist economy, politics, culture, and society.