Non-Communist parties' congresses to feature leadership change

BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The 10th National Congress of the Jiu San Society, one of China's eight non-Communist political parties, will open Friday in Beijing, with the election of a new central committee.

The five-day Jiu San Society event will mark the beginning of a five-yearly national congress season of the country's non-Communist parties over the coming weeks.

The eight congresses follow the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) earlier this month.

Each party's national congress is expected to review a work report by its outgoing central committee, and elect a new central committee.

Official figures indicated that China's non-Communist parties had a total of more than 800,000 members as of end of 2011, with more than 37,000 organs at community-based -- the most basic -- levels.

China's eight democratic parties are: the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the China Democratic League, the China National Democratic Construction Association, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, China Zhi Gong Dang, the Jiu San Society and the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League.

Under the multi-party cooperation system, which remains a major characteristic of China's political party system, the CPC and the non-Communist parties work together and supervise each other, instead of opposing each other.

The CPC rules the country and the non-Communist parties participate in state affairs according to law, instead of ruling the country in turn.