One institution with two names

"One institution with two names" (Chinese: 一个机构两块牌子; pinyin: yīgè jīgòu liǎng kuài páizi; lit. 'one agency two signs') is a bureaucratic arrangement in the Chinese government wherein a government agency exists in name only, and its functions are in practice performed by another agency or a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization, so that in effect one institution has two or more governmental brands to use selectively for political, historical, or bureaucratic reasons. This type of arrangement was historically common until the mid-1980s, but has been extensively revived by reforms which began in 2017.^[1][2][3]

The entrance to the former office building of the Shanghai Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau (上海市文化和旅游局), with additional signs of the "Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics" (上海市文物局), "Shanghai Radio and Television Bureau" (上海市广播电视局) and "Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Committee" (上海市文物管理委员会) name plates can be seen.

Generally, the purpose of retaining the name of the state institution is so that the party institution has the option of using it where it may be legally or aesthetically appropriate. For example, one name can be used domestically and another used when dealing with institutions outside China. The arrangement can be achieved by either "adding a name" (加挂牌子; jiā guà páizi) or "externally retaining a name" (对外保留牌子; duìwài bǎoliú páizi).^[2] The arrangement is also sometimes referred to as "one institution, two brands."^[4]

Within Chinese bureaucratic nomenclature, "one institution with two names" is distinct from "co-located offices" (Chinese: 合署办公; pinyin: héshǔ bàngōng). In the latter situation, two institutions or agencies retain their distinct structure and personnel, and only share office spaces and physical resources.

Adding a name

An organization can acquire an additional name when it is responsible for multiple duties or uses an additional name when dealing with foreign institutions. This happens when two institutions or offices merged, with the original institution taking on the responsibilities and duties of the merged office by using only its existing resources.^[5] Such organizations usually do not have separate leadership or staff because of additional names.^[2]

Externally retaining a name

"Externally retaining a name" is when an organization that has absorbed another can continue to use said organization's name for bureaucratic purposes. For example, the United Front Work Department (UFWD) (a communist party institution) uses the name of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO) (a state institution), which it absorbed in 2018, when making statements related to overseas Chinese affairs.^[2][6][7] In this case, the organization may have a separate nominal leadership team for the nominal organization, that concurrently can also serve in the leadership of the bigger organization (e.g. Chen Xu both officially serves as the director of the OCAO and a deputy head of the UFWD). In some cases, the nominal organization can seemingly retain their internal structures (e.g. the China National Space Administration seemingly has a large internal structure and is a retained name for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology).^[2]

Examples

According to scholar Anne-Marie Brady, the State Council Information Office is an example of a "public face" for "foreign propaganda work" of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.^[8]

Examples of one organization with two names

• Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China
• Cyberspace Administration of China and Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
• Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council and Hong Kong and Macau Work Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Hong Kong Liaison Office and Hong Kong Work Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Macau Liaison Office and Macau Work Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and All-China Chamber of Industry and Commerce
• China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations and the 11th Bureau of the Ministry of State Security

Chinese public universities' internal CCP committee and the universities' office of the president increasingly operate as one institution with two names.^[4]

Examples of externally retained names

• National Religious Affairs Administration (retained by the United Front Work Department)
• Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (retained by the United Front Work Department)
• State Council Information Office (retained by the Central Propaganda Department)^[5][9]
• National Press and Publication Administration (retained by the Central Propaganda Department)
• National Copyright Administration (retained by the Central Propaganda Department)
• China Film Administration (retained by the Central Propaganda Department)
• Chinese Academy of Governance (retained by the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party)

See also

• Organization of the Chinese Communist Party

References

1. "国务院部委管理的国家局" [State Bureaus administered by Ministries or Commissions]. China Internet Information Center (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
2. "〔独家约稿〕国务院机构改革方案通过！"对外保留牌子"的行政法内涵及机构设置法律实践" [[Exclusive Commission] The State Council's Institutional Reform Plan Approved! The Administrative Law Connotation of "Retaining Names Externally" and the Legal Practice of Institutional Establishment]. Phoenix TV (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
3. Lulu, Jichang; Jirouš, Filip; Lee, Rachel (2021-01-25). "Xi's centralisation of external propaganda: SCIO and the Central Propaganda Department" (PDF). Sinopsis. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
4. "China's ruling party takes direct control of country's universities". Radio Free Asia. January 18, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
5. Lyhne-Gold, Bertie (2024-07-23). "One Institution with Two Names". China Media Project. Archived from the original on 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
6. "中共中央印发《深化党和国家机构改革方案》_中央有关文件_中国政府网". Government of China. Archived from the original on 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
7. Joske, Alex (May 9, 2019). "Reorganizing the United Front Work Department: New Structures for a New Era of Diaspora and Religious Affairs Work". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
8. Brady, Anne-Marie (2008). Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 23, 156. ISBN 978-0-7425-4057-6. OCLC 968245349. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
9. Kilpatrick, Ryan Ho (2023-03-16). "The Ins and Outs of the China Daily USA". China Media Project. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.