Higher education in China: Institutions and mechanisms of the state and party management

The higher education of China has achieved significant results in recent years. Therefore, it is important to study management of this system and basic mechanisms used by the party and state institutions. The article is based on the analysis of open data sources, including official documents on the development of the higher education (laws, national programs, projects and plans), and the results of the Russian and Chinese scientific research. The authors consider state and party institutions as a unified system of the education system management: central and local party institutions, party organizations of the central and local government and primary organizations of the party (CPC), central and local executive authorities of the state. Party institutions of the higher education management include executive bodies of the CPC and the local provincial party committees, party organizations of the central and local governments (Ministry of Education and other State Council's structures, local people's governments) and primary party committees of universities. State administrative bodies in the higher education include central (State Council of the PRC including Ministry of Education and other institutions) and local administrative bodies (local people's governments, including education committees of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the central government). The main mechanism that determines activities of the party bodies and the state university management system consists of special projects and plans. The authors present five main plans for the development of the higher education system in China and identify their features and goals.